SA needs leaders like Rassie, Siya

Siya Kolisi is spot-on when he says that, when the Springboks take the field tomorrow in Paris to play France in the quarterfinal of the Rugby World Cup, the side will be playing for 65 million South Africans.

When he says it, though, his words transcend our cynical politicians’ patriotic platitudes. This is a team which not only represents South Africa, it is also a vision of what this country could be … if not for the machinations of those who will divide us. Race counts not in the searing heat of a bruising ruck.

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Trust – that someone will be there to pick up the ball, to continue the advance – is far more important. Knowing your team-mate has your back is inspiring.

But unity is not only forged in a shared struggle; it grows from visionary leadership – and in Siya and the coaching staff, the Boks have those whom people are willing to follow and for whom they are willing to sacrifice.

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Unity comes, too, from a shared dream. Win or lose tomorrow night, the Springboks personify unity. And, even if they lose, they will not whine; they will not seek to place blame. Dignified human beings do not succumb to those temptations to ease their pain.

The Springbok example is what we need to emulate if we are to achieve our potential as a leading nation. But we need leaders like Siya and Rassie Erasmus, who can lead us there without making the fissures in our society even deeper.

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