‘Mama Joy and Botha at Rugby World Cup promotes winning and inspiring nation’ – Dept

The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture has defended its decision to send two supporters, Mama Joy Chauke and Botha Msila to the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France.

This comes after negative reactions were posted on several social media platforms about the pair’s attendance to support the Springboks in their bid to defend the World Cup.

Support

Department spokesperson Zimasa Velaphi said Mama Joy Chauke and Botha Msila – the superfans always seen in South African cultural clothing and baring affectionate smiles at many a sporting event – were “recognised in the world of sport as the epitome of promoting a winning, active, and inspiring nation”.

“This is one of the primary objectives of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture. It is concerning that when the world recognises their presence, thus celebrating the contribution of South African supporters at the World Cup, two of South Africa’s superfans are receiving criticism and insults from within the country,” Velaphi said.

Impact

Velaphi added that Mama Joy was impacting the lives of people across the globe.

 “The Department has observed how Mama Joy is impacting the lives of people across the borders of South Africa to an extent that some are providing support to sustain her stay in Paris to increase her visibility in all games played in the Rugby World Cup.”

Framework document

Velaphi said in 2020, South Africa adopted a Framework Document on the country’s National Interest and its advancement in a Global Environment.

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She said the document defined South Africa’s national interest within the context of addressing the legacies of the colonial rule and apartheid policies.

“Mama Joy and Botha’s presence at the Rugby World Cup is playing a major role in demonstrating how South Africa is using sport to heal from the divisions of the past.”

“Mama Joy has become the face of the Braai Army in France. She is raising the agency and voice of women in a male dominated environment. It cannot be correct for South Africans that are refusing change to use the Rugby World Cup to push their underlying racism and patriarchal tendencies to bully and insult a woman who has built a profile as a superfan across all sporting codes from bottom-up,” Velaphi said.

 The Department said it had supported many South Africans to participate in arts, music and cultural events hosted on various international platforms and that it did not start now with Mama Joy and Botha.

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