JUSTICE MALALA | Unfortunately the Boks’ victory is a temporary distraction

There was a time when the magnificence and resilience of a squad like the current Springboks brought hope, renewed resolve and pride to our collective hearts. As happened with the 1995 Rugby World Cup (RWC) and their breathtaking victory at Ellis Park, something deep within the nation’s soul would stir. We remembered that we are unique, that we stepped back from racial war and chose an imperfect yet inspirational democratic path, and that we are on a mission to build a successful, nonracial, non-sexist, and united, country.

The RWC campaign that ended on Saturday with the nail-biting, stomach-churningly close, victory of the Bokke resurfaced some of those emotions: hope, pride and belief that we can achieve anything.

I watched the semifinals against England a week and a half ago with a bunch of South Africans in New York City. For the two hours before, during and after the game, the spirit of pride, ubuntu and unity was palpable. I watched the final on Saturday 13,000km away from New York, in my mother’s village in poverty-stricken Hammanskraal, and the spirit of pride in our country and the joy and the unity was overwhelming. Across the world, South Africans are united in their love for their country and what it can be.

In an interview after the game, captain Siya Kolisi repeated what many others have said: South Africa has so many challenges, and it needed this victory to help it pull itself out of them.

You have to agree with Kolisi. You also cannot help but acknowledge that the joy that gripped the land on Saturday evening is very quickly dashed on this Monday morning by the realisation that after the week of suspended load-shedding, we are back to water cuts and electricity blackouts and poor service delivery.

The sadness of our France victory is that there is a sense that our political leadership is cynical, exhausted, out of ideas, uncaring.

In the harsh light of today, the fact that there was no load-shedding at the weekend comes across as cynical: so our leaders can solve our problems but choose to do so when it’s useful or convenient for them?

Sport cannot solve and is not meant to solve society’s ills and challenges. In times of great strife and challenge, however, it can bring people together. It can act as a reminder of what we share, what unites us, rather than what divides us. Nelson Mandela very astutely used the 1995 Rugby World Cup final as a tool to spread his message of unity and nonracialism, to remind black and white that we have far more that unites us than divides us.

The sadness of our France victory is that there is a sense that our political leadership is cynical, exhausted, out of ideas, uncaring. Every so often President Cyril Ramaphosa will speak of unity and pulling in one direction, but then the rest of his cabinet seems to merely be going through the motions, if not actively destroying it.

The sad truth is that we cannot be united when our leaders are failing so spectacularly. France was a mere distraction from our many crises. Step outside of the Bok victory and into the real world, and what do you see? A Joburg that is being eaten away by greedy politicians. Imagine, now, if Joburg was run with the ethos and fidelity to excellence that imbues the Boks. Ah, no, we all know that sort of excellence is not for the public service.

There was a time when we had areas of government that were like the Boks — they were world class and competed with the top in the world and won. Eskom was voted the best power utility by the Financial Times Global Energy Awards at a ceremony held in New York in 2001. Now it can’t keep the lights on or hold on to a chair or CEO. Now, in areas of Joburg such as Brixton, residents go for up to six weeks without water. I have not even started on the crime, corruption, inefficiency, lack of common sense and laziness that grip our civil service.

Watching events like the soccer or rugby World Cup is supposed to be joyful, to unite the nation and to celebrate excellence. In our country, however, politicians have stolen our joy. While you enjoy the game, you worry about escalating crime, collapsing infrastructure or any number of state failures. Sporting victories, even extraordinary ones such as on Saturday, cannot paper over the cracks. Today, as we get on buses and taxis and trains and cars and head to work, we know that something is wrong here: 64% of young people don’t have jobs.

Our leaders need to know: When held up against the Springboks, they are puny and have failed the country. They should be ashamed to be shown up like this. They should come back home and raise their game.