Turning point in Bafana Bafana’s fortunes?

Many South African sports fans may be feeling as though they are living in a parallel universe – one where our frequently reviled national football team, Bafana Bafana, have just seen off the best team on the continent to advance to the quarterfinals of the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon).

Those who didn’t watch the convincing 2-0 victory over Morocco would have missed a significant piece of local history – a turning point in Bafana’s fortunes? – and would have missed out on the spine-tingling emotions which flow from seeing our team triumph.

And hats off to Bafana – they went marching off to that sporting war knowing not many South Africans believed in them. Frankly, we were some of those of little faith. Sorry, guys…

At this stage of our history, we need this news like the desert needs the rain, as the song goes.

We greedily lap up the glory of our successful teams and individuals – remember the triumphs of the Springboks, Banyana Banyana and, most recently, mixed martial arts fighter Dricus du Plessis?

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Let’s go even further back. Close your eyes as you drift back to 2010. Taste once again that national pride, that optimism and even though we didn’t win the Fifa World Cup, we were the first Africans to host the tournament and gave the world a spectacular it would not forget.

These victories bring people together, above and beyond race and creed, to celebrate our unique South African-ness… and remind us that we can scale the heights, despite the fact that our government seems determined to keep us down in the depths.

Let’s revive that tradition of wearing Bafana Bafana shirts on Fridays – and particularly ahead of the quarterfinal clash against Cape Verde on Saturday evening.

Let’s be the wind beneath Bafana’s wings.