For a young Bermudian travelling to Africa for the first time, the surprise meeting with legend Nelson Mandela remains memorable 18 years later.

Miss Bermuda Renita Minors was 22 when she attended the Miss World Pageant hosted by South Africa, which until recently had been a pariah state because of its apartheid regime.

“People were shocked to see black people in a certain light,” she remembered.

“I stayed in a hotel where I guess black people hadn’t been allowed unless they were working. My parents came down as well, and one housekeeper said they’d never seen black people staying in that hotel before.”

The contestants were taken to see the recently-elected President — but Ms Minors said she hadn’t expected to get time of her own with Mr Mandela.

“To our surprise and delight, we got an individual meeting with him. Each person went up and shook his hand. I got goose bumps — I’d actually meet this historic man, after all the struggles he’d been through.”

She recalled Mr Mandela as “very soft-spoken — but when he talked, it was a genuine conversation, not just a ‘how are you’.”

Added Ms Minors: “When he saw the name Bermuda on my chest, the first thing he asked was ‘Is the sand really pink?’”

Mr Mandela also asked her to pass on his best to Sir John Swan, who had just stepped down as Premier.

The Miss World contestants subsequently attended a luncheon in aid of orphans, where Mr Mandela addressed the delegates.

“You could have heard a pin drop,” Ms Minors said. “The whole audience was mesmerised. He was soft-spoken but he still demanded your attention — and he was very eloquent.”

She has shared her experience with the latest generation of Miss Bermuda candidates.

“I try to stress, when people ask me about becoming Miss Bermuda, that it’s about being able to represent your country — and you never know who you will meet in that role. At that time I got to meet one of the most historical people in the world. Ask anyone who Nelson Mandela is, and they’ll know. It was an experience that I’ll never forget.”