Springboks and Kolisi could teach govt ‘a thing or two about leadership’

South Africans’ unwavering display of unity and pride in support of the national team’s campaign to deliver joy and hope to the country in another momentous Rugby World Cup year is evidence that as a unit, the country could soar to greater heights, according to experts.

The Springboks defeated New Zealand by a single point in a nail-biting final in Paris on Saturday night, their win coupled with a clear display of support from many South Africans, even those who were not fans of the sport.

‘Dual role’

According to Dr Buntu Siwisa, senior researcher at the Southern Centre for Inequality Studies at the University of the Witwatersrand and co-author of Rugby, Resistance and Politics: How Dan Qeqe Helped Shape the History of Port Elizabeth, in the country’s history, rugby has peculiarly played a dual role – a bitter divider and an enigmatic unifier.

ALSO READ: Springboks’ World Cup triumph among greatest ever sporting feats?

“As much as it divided us racially, it built a nation out of us in 1995, 2007 and in 2019. These are the inherent features of South African rugby,” he noted.

“The formal organisation of early rugby clubs among the black people of Port Elizabeth in the late 1880s by the black clerics and intelligentsia ended interethnic conflicts.

“And in the ’70s and ’80s, throughout the Eastern Cape, rugby became a tool of anti-apartheid resistance and a source of black pride.”

Siwisa said the Rugby World Cup 2023 win continued in that tradition – “building a nation out of us and providing social cohesion”.

ALSO READ: IN PICS: This is how the Springboks celebrated their victory with their wives

“This is a much-needed relief from the barrage of economic challenges, corruption, violent racist assaults, unemployment and general despondency,” he said.

Siwisa was not the only one who shared those sentiments.

Political analyst Mark Erasmus said: “As a nation, we need to replicate this unity and channel it into other things, like politics, service delivery and the polls next year.”

What South Africans did last Saturday was undeniably beautiful, “from the songs coordinated to sing during the game on social media, the conversations around finding perfect places to watch the game, it was one amazing sight to witness”.

He added: “Even when people started singing the national anthem, it was evident that everyone was wholeheartedly supporting the Boks.

“And that’s the kind of zeal we need even in protecting and supporting democracy. That’s the only time you see, without fail, that we really are a rainbow nation. In that moment after the last whistle, people were happy, singing and embracing each other without a care in the world.

ALSO READ: ‘We needed this’: Springboks hailed as nation-building heroes

“We can deny it all we want, but as a country, we have seen that we are stronger together, and we have even more power when we have a united voice towards challenges and problems because we can easily get closer to our goals without feeling the hassle.”

Springboks and Kolisi lessons

Apart from unity, the Springboks and Bok captain Siya Kolisi could teach the government a thing or two about leadership.

“His support and patience with his team was the highlight of the entire World Cup,” he said.

ALSO READ: Holiday or not – we must honour Siya Kolisi and Springboks team

In his note “The Boks’ real gift to South Africa is leadership”, published by the Mail and Guardian, Songezo Zibi, the national leader of Rise Mzansi, said Kolisi’s humility had achieved what he did not personally covet, and that was for his name to be lifted higher by everyone who watched his character in action.

“The role of leadership is not to destroy unity when it arises, but to use the few smidgens of unity we achieve to unite us behind solving the many difficult issues we still face,” Zibi said.

“I am more determined than ever that South Africa comes right, that every South African has the opportunity to succeed in life, and does.

ALSO READ: ‘You came through for our hope-seeking nation’- SA’s messages to the Springboks

“That [ambition] needs those of us engaged in politics to learn every lesson from the Springbok victory, and then emulate their example.

“Hard work, consistency, humility and choosing the right and best people for roles are just some of those.”

– reitumetsem@citizen.co.za