Speech of the Minister of Sport and Recreation South Africa, Mr. Fikile
Mbalula (MP), on the occasion of the send-of of the Springboks,
amaBhokoBhoko, to the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand, 29
August 2011, Republic of South Africa.
Programme Director;
The Minister of Sport & Recreation, Honourable Mr Fikile Mbalula;
The Deputy Minister, Honourable Mr G Oosthuizen;
The President of SASCOC, Mr G Sam;
The Deputy President of SA Rugby Mr Marc Alexanda;
Board Members and Executive Committee of Members of SA Rugby Union;
Players of our national team;
The coach and the captain;
Sport men and women;
Media organizations present here;
Distinguished Guests;
Comrades and Friends;
Fellow South Africans;
I would like to take this opportunity to greet all our people, the people of the South!
It is, indeed, humbling to address our national team, amaBhokobhoko on this important
occasion as they prepare to depart our shores to go and defend our pride in New
Zealand. There is a strong sense of pride that one feels when talking about them
because as a team with a collective purpose, they have already made us proud and
conquered the IRB World Cup Title, not once but twice!
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As Wanderley Luxemburgo has put it:
“A player who conjugates a verb in the first person singular cannot be part of the
squad; he has to conjugate the verb in the first plural. We! We want to conquer!
We are going to conquer! Using the word “I” when you are in a group makes
things complicated”.
Ladies and gentlemen, On behalf of our entire nation and its forty eight million citizens,
we would like to proudly take this opportunity to wish the South African Rugby National
Team good luck in their World Cup tournament in New Zealand in October this year.
As a nation we are delighted and proud that our national team is again going to take
part in the World Cup 2011 tournament in New Zealand. The Springboks are always
adding value to this journey of global participation in sport by competing in almost all
World Cups and Rugby Championships since the reacceptance of South Africa into the
international rugby stage. This determination and dedication by our boys should serve
as an inspiration to all our national teams to emulate this example.
As a country we believe that the positive spirit our people displayed during the 1995 and
2007 Rugby World Cups and the ultimate 2010 FIFA World Cup, the Netball World
Championships and the Cricket World Cup in 2011 must continue and that the all-round
support that was generated for Bafana-Bafana and other national teams must now be
inculcated into massive and overwhelming support for the Springboks in their heroic war
for the Trophy in the upcoming event.
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What ever happened yesterday, what ever is happening today; and what ever will
happen tomorrow; stick with the following:
“Our real problem, then, is not our strength today; it is rather the vital necessity of
action today to ensure our strength tomorrow”
We say to you as a people, go out there and represent your beloved country in the
foreign land and we know that you will bring the Trophy back home and make us proud
again!
We trust and hope that you will enjoy a wonderful time in New Zealand and enjoy their
world-renowned hospitality, and that you will have sufficient time to enjoy the many
splendid attractions in that part of the globe.
Good Luck!
Sport and Recreation South Africa C/o Vermeulen & Queen Streets Pretoria +27-(0)11 304 5000 Fax +27-(0)11 323-8426
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