Have you ever wondered what makes South African culture so unique from the rest of the world? For one, we refer to ourselves as the rainbow nation, a term coined by the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu after South Africa’s first democratic elections in 1994. A term referring to the diverse cultural and ethnic makeup of people who live in S.A. A makeup that is reflected in our constitution’s recognition of 12 official languages, among the highest number of any country in the world, a nation truly defined by diversity.
With a variety of languages, races and religions, no wonder this term fits like a glove.It was the year 1995, when for the first time ever South Africa won the Rugby World cup. A symbolic moment cherished by so many who witnessed our first democratic President, the Late President Nelson Mandela, handing over the Webb Ellis Cub to captain François Pienaar at the Ellis Park stadium. It was at this sporting event that the late President used rugby as a symbol of South African unity. A game that was used to foster shared national pride, said Farrel Evans. The efforts that were made by the late President gave South Africans hope where there was once only despair.
This hope of pride has moved from rugby to cricket, netball, athletics, soccer and many more, redefining the makeup of what we knew as predominantly white sports and how we view our nation. This has in turn created a culture that when the national team plays, we must all tune in to watch and experience the momentous events as if one is attending at the stadium. This also gave a boy or a girl living in a remote village in Limpopo or KZN hope to become a member of the national team.
This hope was lived when Coach Rassie Erasmus addressed the elephant in the rugby room as he saw transformation as an opportunity to unlock the rugby playing potential that more 80% of the population had to offer. He opened the door to black and coloured players to shine, and as a result, won back-to-back Rugby world titles. When he appointed Siya Kolosi as the captain of the springboks, that decision was considered one of the best decisions in his tenure. Considered an excellent leader, and a fantastic player, Siya has united the nation as the first black captain of the Springboks. A true example of the great efforts the late President spoke of.
The year 2023 was the year where all South Africans, young, old, and all races came together as one to support the various sports taking place in our country and internationally, as our national teams took part in the Rugby world cup, Netball world cup, Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), and the ICC Cricket World Cup. When the Springboks won the rugby world cup 2023, it was a joyous moment as they are the first team to win the tournament four times and the first team to win successive World Cup titles away from home.
It was also vital that the country should back Bafana Bafana in their AFCON even after their disappointing start. This support saw the soccer national team reach the semifinals and bagging a bronze medal. A trait that makes our country stand out from other countries as we continued with our support and winning streak with Drikus du Plessis where he is the current UFC Middleweight Champion and the first South African to win a UFC championship.
When the Paris Olympics 2024 began, we did not anticipate the great performance from our men’s 100m relay team nor the women’s javelin throw. But this is to show that becoming inclusive in the country’s demographic makeup can bring the country together. Our heritage has now become reflected in the phrase ‘Unity in diversity’, a cornerstone of South Africa’s identity. An identity which has been made possible by sports, supporting the words of our late President that “sports has the power to change the world”, with our sportsmen and women being our national pride this Heritage Day.
May our national team coaches be like coach Rassie by being deliberate when choosing team players who play with a big heart and lots of skill. With the Springboks depth being the envy of the rugby world as they play together in perfect harmony, big or small, white, coloured or black, a perfect example of Unity in Diversity. Our new buzz word ‘No DNA, just RSA’ is befitting this Heritage Day. That our heritage is the overall power of love of coming together in our diversity to play or support our South African sports every time.
