Bruce Springsteen inspired by Mandela`s forgiving nature

London: Bruce Springsteen began his first tour to South Africa with a rendition of the protest song ` Free Nelson Mandela.`

Springsteen never met Mandela, but in an interview told Sky News that he was inspired by Mandela`s ability to forgive those who jailed him for 27 years. The 64-year-old singer was one of the musicians who fought against South Africa`s apartheid laws; he even participated in the recording the track `Sun City` in 1985 to highlight the injustice of the whites-only resort. Steven Van Zandt , the instigator of the cultural boycott of South Africa and founder of Artists Against Apartheid, was alongside him on stage at Cape Town`s Belleville Velodrome. The movement had raised awareness among Americans about the situation in South Africa as well as tens of thousands of US dollars for anti-apartheid projects.