By Koketso Mamabolo
“I am the product of Africa and her long-cherished dream of rebirth that can now be realised so that all of her children may play in the sun,” said former President Nelson Mandela at the last sitting of South Africa’s first democratically elected parliament, two decades before Siya Kolisi would become the third Springbok captain to lift the William Webb Ellis Cup. It was to these words that the creators of “Chasing the Sun” turned when naming the documentary that would capture the national rugby team’s rise to the top, deepening the link between nation-building and sport, and immortalising arguably the most successful and inspirational player to lead the Springboks.
Last year the Springboks repeated a feat that has catapulted them to cult status and cemented South Africa’s position as one of the world’s leading rugby nations. At this year’s African Union Sports Council Region 5 Sports Awards, which were hosted in Lusaka, Siya was honoured with the Sportsman of the Year Award, adding to the People’s Choice and Sports Star of the Year awards he received at the 17th edition of the SA Sports Awards.
“Each historical period defines the specific challenges of national progress and leadership; and no man is an island,” said President Nelson Mandela and the accolades the Springboks received are testament to this, with the team taking home the Team of the Year Award at both the national regional award ceremonies.
“The team and Kolisi have been critical in showing what unity, teamwork, and overcoming numerous barriers on and off the field can achieve in nation-building and building winning teams, and we hope this inspires teams across Africa to follow in their footsteps and achieve similar success,” said SA Rugby President Mark Alexander.
When South Africa hosted the third Rugby World Cup in 1995, the last of the amateur era, President Nelson Mandela identified an opportunity to use the moment as a tool for harnessing the power of unity and crafting a new narrative for democratic South Africa. At the time the green and gold jersey was seen as a symbol of a divisive, unequal past and the President’s decision to don the team’s colours, with openside flanker and captain Francois Pienaar’s number printed on the back, was a masterstroke.