Feel it … it is here: Why Bafana’s World Cup return is the balm South Africa needs

COMMENT

Let’s be honest with ourselves: South Africans are utterly obsessed with World Cups. Ever since the Springboks’ famous 1995 triumph, pairing the words “World” and “Cup” in the same sentence is enough to put this nation into a collective trance.

But our relationship with global tournaments is as complex and diverse as the country itself.

The Springboks have gone on to lift the Webb Ellis Cup three further times — the last two being back-to-back — virtually immortalising captain Siya Kolisi and coach Rassie Erasmus in the pantheon of South African deities.

The Proteas cricket fans have endured an altogether different, agonising relationship with World Cups. For them, it has been a saga of pure trauma, marked by years of heart-wrenching disappointment for both the men’s and women’s teams.

And then, there are our men’s football team, Bafana Bafana. Successive appearances in 1998 and 2002 gave way to an eight-year wait until we hosted the first-ever Fifa World Cup on African soil in 2010.

Nobody could have guessed back then that it would be another 16 years before Bafana would grace the greatest stage of them all again.

For many in today’s social media generation, the resounding memories of Bafana competing at a Fifa World Cup are intrinsically tied to the vibrant tune of Shakira’s Waka Waka and the relentless, droning buzz of the vuvuzela.

And what memories they were. It was a month of pure bliss that had South Africans believing — not just in their football team, but in the radical idea that their broken country could actually be whole again.

Our brand-new stadiums shone like beacons of light and hope. Defying all cynical expectations, public transport worked like clockwork. People of every race, class and creed converged at fan parks across the nation to celebrate the beautiful game.

I had returned from the Caribbean just in time for the start of the tournament. I was determined to savour this “once-in-a-lifetime” experience purely as a fan, refusing to be consumed by the usual journalistic deadlines.

At least 20 members of my family — along with a stranger I had literally just met in the ticketing queue — drove in a sprawling convoy up the Garden Route to Gqeberha. We gathered to watch the opening game on the big screen at St George’s Park.

South Africa’s oldest Test cricket venue was transformed into a breathtaking cacophony of noise and colour. And when Siphiwe Tshabalala rifled home Bafana Bafana’s opener at FNB Stadium, it erupted like never before.

I was entirely bereft of my senses at that point. It was as if a spirit had overtaken my body; I celebrated as though my own left foot had struck the ball. Despite it being a chilly winter’s evening, my top came off in a flash, and I was off on a wildly celebratory run all around the St George’s Park outfield. I only stopped to catch my breath once Rafael Márquez equalised for Mexico.

Bafana Bafana and the 2010 Fifa World Cup gave us hope. Now, just like that magical squad of the past, captain Ronwen Williams and his Class of 2026 have done so again.

We are, of course, older and wiser now. We know that regardless of Bafana Bafana’s result this Thursday evening at the legendary Estadio Azteca, our everyday problems will not simply vanish into the high-altitude Mexican air.

The reality remains stark: The petrol price will stubbornly sit at R27.93. We will still have to double-lock our doors and set our alarms at night.

But for 90 glorious minutes, we will be transported back to a place that rekindles all those happy thoughts. We will step into a haven that can never be tarnished, regardless of Safa’s historical inadequacies or our government’s broken promises.

The time is now. Ke Nako. Feel it. It is here!