South African hero visits Team Shosholoza

Andrew Mlangeni, jailed at the same time as Nelson Mandela supports the South African team in Trapani

South Africa's America's Cup hopeful Team Shosholoza, will be honouring Rivonia trialist Andrew Mlangeni as their most revered 18th crew member during a race at the Trapani Louis Vuitton Acts currently being contested off southern Sicily.

82 year old Mlangeni, who served 26 years of a life sentence on Robben Island with former president Nelson Mandela, has been a South African Member of Parliament since the first democratic elections in 1994. He is also a member of the influential parliamentary Sports and Recreation Portfolio Committee.

The 18 man spot is by invitation only to special guests, celebrities or the media. It provides a rare opportunity to watch the racing from the back of the boat, but no assistance may be given to the team.

Mr Mlangeni, who arrived in Trapani on Saturday refers to himself as a proud and committed Team Shosholoza supporter who follows the team's progress with a "mixture of joy, gratitude and awe. This team represents the world I always believed in. They are showing the world that South Africa has turned into a new country and a new democracy we can all be proud of."

Mr Mlangeni met each crew member and wished them luck just before they left the dock to claim their second victory of the week long match racing event against United Internet Team Germany on Saturday.

"I like to think that my presence alone was an inspiration to them, that maybe it was a bit of Mlangeni's magic, not Madiba's magic, that worked this time!" he joked with a hearty laugh and youthfulness that belies his age.

Mr Mlangeni was charged under the notorious Sabotage and Suppression of Communism Act along with Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu and Govan Mbeki and other prominent members of the African National Congress in the Rivonia Trial and sentenced to life imprisonment in June 1964. He was one of the few leaders to be transferred to Pollsmoor Prison in Cape Town with Nelson Mandela in the 1980s.

When asked if, during his years on Robben Island, he could ever have imagined being 18th man on an America's Cup race - a non-sailing crew position usually reserved for Royalty, celebrities and the media, he replied: "No, it never crossed my mind. At the time we were sacrificing our lives for the freedom of the next generation, we weren't thinking of ourselves. Now that it has happened, we are so very grateful to be able to enjoy so much of what life offers us."

Mr Mlangeni said he visited the Team Shosholoza base every morning before they left for the race course and then watched the team racing live on big screen television from the America's Cup hospitality area on the water's edge. He returned to the base to welcome the team back to the dock in the afternoon.

"I am so proud of them. They are doing so well. Just now the official race commentators said they were the most improved team this year, that their team work is slick and that they are conducting themselves in a professional manner. It made me so proud."

Mr Mlangeni said he met Captain Salvatore Sarno, the chairman of Mediterranean Shipping Company, South Africa, and the driving force behind Team Shosholoza, almost two years ago through his friend and business associate, Sello Rasethaba.

He was impressed by Capt Sarno's novel vision for showcasing South Africa's technology, human initiative, skills and expertise through the America's Cup in a way few other international campaigns could. "The America's Cup is one of the world's oldest and most prestigious sporting trophies. It is one of the biggest sporting spectacles next to the Olympic Games and the Soccer World Cup with a cumulative television audience of over 4-billion. It is a huge event and an honour for us to be part of it," he said.

He introduced Capt Sarno to both the former Minister of Sport, Mr Ngconde Balfour, and the current Minister, Mr Makhenkesi Stofile, both of whom had given their support to South African's maiden bid for the America's Cup.

Mr Mlangeni returns to South Africa at the weekend for a special sitting of Parliament next week.

Team Shosholoza crew members said they were very moved by Mr Mlangeni's warmth, humility and larger than life personality. "It makes it hard to imagine what he has been through," said one of the crew.