The FIFA 2010 World Cup hosting by South Africa will go into history as an event that redefined the essence of being South African. The pre-June 11 preparations were to most of us seen within the prism of infrastructure and team readiness rather than national readiness. The built-up games that characterised our view of the national team and SAFA may have blinded us to see the national reawakening that was taking place as we approached the kick-off day.
Our preparations were punctuated, as though it was through some divine and supernatural design, by the gladiatorial success of the Blue Bulls and the Stormers to host the all African super 14 final at Orlando Stadium. The significance of the rugby finals featuring a team that is a compulsory footnote in the history of South African Rugby became an announcement to the world that South Africa is not only technically ready but emotionally prepared.
It will not be a surprise if some of the Blue Bulls fans that went to Orlando stadium were last seen in Soweto to enforce what has been South Africa’s greatest liability in terms of how the world sees and know us, Apartheid. It will also not be surprising to find out that some of the ‘black’ fans that graced the occasion were at some point of their historical growth path disapproving of what rugby represents for South Africa. Notwithstanding, the super 14 final melted these experiences through the vuvuzela sound into an emphatic yes we have the capability not only to host but to be hosts to ourselves
We refused to allow the world to know Soweto before our very own Blue Bulls fans could, we refused to allow the world enjoy the disky dance before we could say we know it as a nation. The invite that the world received was first utilised by ourselves, we occupied front seat in Orlando, Sandton and ultimately in Soccer City and the many fan parks that melted the rainbow into an emphatic yellow nation. Our front seat as the world model of reconciliation and rainbowism, even if our fundamental transformation issues such as economic playing field levelling and complete obliteration of traces of Apartheid are still outstanding, was further entrenched.
As if the super 14 was not enough, the Sandton midday celebrations on kick-off d-day foregrounded to the world the essence of being South African when it matters. The many South Africans that blew the vuvuzela on d-day were very symbolic of the war cry that Mexico was to face come June 11 kick-off time. The biblical scene about the fall of the walls of Jericho at the behest of trumpeting became all of a sudden a reality. The vuvuzela that took on Sandton and reverberated through the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and by extension world markets was our declaration to the world that we are taking the world, and indeed this is the African century; Ke Nako.
As we were preparing to welcome the world to our country, we also welcomed each other as South Africans to the same country. The embrace of the vuvuzela as our sports and fan trade mark joined the shosholoza cry that delivered both the 1985 First ever Rugby world cup and the 1996 First ever Africa Nations Cup to South Africa. The sounds created a melodius common space for us to show our emotional connection as a nation. We once again confirmed our national anthem’s ending line that commands; ‘sounds the call to come together, and united we shall stand, let us live and strive for freedom, in South Africa our land’.
The cherry to all of this became what our national team did on the opening match. The manner in which the boys played has shown the world that a nation with a will is a nation to be feared. Characteristic of being South African the boys became men without choking the boy in them. The goal by Siphiwe (Zulu for he has been given to us and for us) from a pass by Reneilwe (Sotho for we are given) only confirmed how as a nation we should accept our blessings from whomever we chose to call our God.
The opening ceremony did not only entrench Africa’s artistic world class position amongst other nations of the world but confirmed our prowess as a host continent that should be trusted by the world. The choreography that underpinned the opening rewrote the script on how world cups should be opened; in this instance we built new Pyramids in the firmament of international event hosting. The world of vuvuzela, makarapas, whistles and the many gimmicks accompanying being a South African will in a similar manner that the Mexican wave and the Roger Milla dance has, change the character of world football fanaticism.
The fact that we have not progressed to other levels of the competition, mainly as a result of our maturing skills development in the field, should not be a dampener to our sociable and hosting nature to other people. Our experience in the field of play should be an emphatic lesson to all South Africans that only when our singular prowess is put to test we show resilience with success as a given. This world cup should be one where we say never again will we entrust national duty to foreign nationals.
As though it was destined, the first country to recieve independence at a world cup hosted by a country that became last in completing the Kwame Nkurumah Pan-African vision went further than what pundits anticipated. The Nkurumah spirit of rewriting African history will in this instance be a pan-african assignment as Ghana continues to inscribe its and Africa’s name on the World Cup history.
What is now remaining is for us to support Ghana to win the trophy, for the South African nation as a team has already won its trophy as the best ever host nation. The best practices that accompanied our preparations have further rewritten the service delivery landscape for nations and indeed us to learn and scale through other challenging areas of delivery.
Our preparations were punctuated, as though it was through some divine and supernatural design, by the gladiatorial success of the Blue Bulls and the Stormers to host the all African super 14 final at Orlando Stadium. The significance of the rugby finals featuring a team that is a compulsory footnote in the history of South African Rugby became an announcement to the world that South Africa is not only technically ready but emotionally prepared.
It will not be a surprise if some of the Blue Bulls fans that went to Orlando stadium were last seen in Soweto to enforce what has been South Africa’s greatest liability in terms of how the world sees and know us, Apartheid. It will also not be surprising to find out that some of the ‘black’ fans that graced the occasion were at some point of their historical growth path disapproving of what rugby represents for South Africa. Notwithstanding, the super 14 final melted these experiences through the vuvuzela sound into an emphatic yes we have the capability not only to host but to be hosts to ourselves
We refused to allow the world to know Soweto before our very own Blue Bulls fans could, we refused to allow the world enjoy the disky dance before we could say we know it as a nation. The invite that the world received was first utilised by ourselves, we occupied front seat in Orlando, Sandton and ultimately in Soccer City and the many fan parks that melted the rainbow into an emphatic yellow nation. Our front seat as the world model of reconciliation and rainbowism, even if our fundamental transformation issues such as economic playing field levelling and complete obliteration of traces of Apartheid are still outstanding, was further entrenched.
As if the super 14 was not enough, the Sandton midday celebrations on kick-off d-day foregrounded to the world the essence of being South African when it matters. The many South Africans that blew the vuvuzela on d-day were very symbolic of the war cry that Mexico was to face come June 11 kick-off time. The biblical scene about the fall of the walls of Jericho at the behest of trumpeting became all of a sudden a reality. The vuvuzela that took on Sandton and reverberated through the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and by extension world markets was our declaration to the world that we are taking the world, and indeed this is the African century; Ke Nako.
As we were preparing to welcome the world to our country, we also welcomed each other as South Africans to the same country. The embrace of the vuvuzela as our sports and fan trade mark joined the shosholoza cry that delivered both the 1985 First ever Rugby world cup and the 1996 First ever Africa Nations Cup to South Africa. The sounds created a melodius common space for us to show our emotional connection as a nation. We once again confirmed our national anthem’s ending line that commands; ‘sounds the call to come together, and united we shall stand, let us live and strive for freedom, in South Africa our land’.
The cherry to all of this became what our national team did on the opening match. The manner in which the boys played has shown the world that a nation with a will is a nation to be feared. Characteristic of being South African the boys became men without choking the boy in them. The goal by Siphiwe (Zulu for he has been given to us and for us) from a pass by Reneilwe (Sotho for we are given) only confirmed how as a nation we should accept our blessings from whomever we chose to call our God.
The opening ceremony did not only entrench Africa’s artistic world class position amongst other nations of the world but confirmed our prowess as a host continent that should be trusted by the world. The choreography that underpinned the opening rewrote the script on how world cups should be opened; in this instance we built new Pyramids in the firmament of international event hosting. The world of vuvuzela, makarapas, whistles and the many gimmicks accompanying being a South African will in a similar manner that the Mexican wave and the Roger Milla dance has, change the character of world football fanaticism.
The fact that we have not progressed to other levels of the competition, mainly as a result of our maturing skills development in the field, should not be a dampener to our sociable and hosting nature to other people. Our experience in the field of play should be an emphatic lesson to all South Africans that only when our singular prowess is put to test we show resilience with success as a given. This world cup should be one where we say never again will we entrust national duty to foreign nationals.
As though it was destined, the first country to recieve independence at a world cup hosted by a country that became last in completing the Kwame Nkurumah Pan-African vision went further than what pundits anticipated. The Nkurumah spirit of rewriting African history will in this instance be a pan-african assignment as Ghana continues to inscribe its and Africa’s name on the World Cup history.
What is now remaining is for us to support Ghana to win the trophy, for the South African nation as a team has already won its trophy as the best ever host nation. The best practices that accompanied our preparations have further rewritten the service delivery landscape for nations and indeed us to learn and scale through other challenging areas of delivery.
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