President Cyril Ramaphosa recently called on South Africans to unite behind Bafana Bafana as the national men’s football team.
“They carry with them the best wishes of more than 62 million South Africans who will be cheering them on at every stage of the tournament. Bafana Bafana are taking part in the World Cup for the first time since we hosted the event in 2010,” the President said last Monday, June 8, in his weekly newsletter to the nation.
The soccer tournament will be held in Mexico, the United States of America, and Canada.
President Ramaphosa said the country’s journey mirrors that of the national football team, noting that South Africa has emerged from a challenging period and is looking ahead with renewed optimism.
“Much like the national squad, the country has emerged from a prolonged period of difficulty and now looks to the future with hope,” he said.
He pointed to the country’s democratic progress, the strength of its Constitution, the launch of the National Dialogue process and signs of economic recovery as reasons for growing confidence in the future.
The President urged citizens to celebrate not only the team’s achievements but also the progress South Africa has made in building a united, non-racial, non-sexist and democratic society.
“So, as we cheer our team on from the stands, at fan zones and in our homes, we should also cheer ourselves on as a country. We should celebrate how far we have come in building a united, non-racial, non-sexist and democratic South Africa,” the President said.
He concluded by calling for unity as South Africans support the national team on the world stage.
“For 90 minutes, as they play for our country, we will not be divided by language, race, province, club or circumstance. For 90 minutes, as they play, we will simply be South Africans standing together behind our national team and behind our flag.
“One Team. One Nation. Behind Bafana. Behind South Africa. United by our Flag, inspired by our Team. 62 million cheering voices. One Dream,” the President said.