South Africans recently found themselves in the international spotlight after two Airlink planes flew low over a stadium during a rugby match in the Mother City, Cape Town. What might have been an opportunity for embarrassment quickly became a quintessentially South African moment. Rather than taking the criticism lying down, citizens took to social media with the humour, wit and patriotism for which we are so often known.
“South Africans fly over buildings, not into them.”
“Those critics have obviously never taken a taxi.”
“Watch out for the mountain, Babba!”
And, perhaps most appropriately, “Dit was kak awesome!”
And just to put the cherry on top, the Boks went on to beat the All Blacks.
In true South African Spirit
It’s a small, amusing episode, but it captures something rather special about the South African spirit. We may be quick to criticise our own country – because we mos have a right to – but let someone from outside take a swipe at South Africa and suddenly, ja nee, we are united.
And perhaps this is what makes South Africans so uniquely South African. We have an incredible ability to laugh, at ourselves, at each other and especially when the rest of the world is watching. We can turn a moment of criticism into a meme, a difficult situation into a joke and a stadium flyover into something to brag about. Yet beneath the jokes and the banter is something much deeper: a genuine warmth and generosity that so many South Africans carry with them.
Heritage Month celebrates all of this – our rich cultures, beliefs, histories and languages. At schools across the country, children arrive dressed in traditional clothing, proudly sharing a cultural mix of samoosas, pasta dishes, poffertjes, pap and chakalaka, and scones – ag shame. And when Heritage Day arrives, many of us will do what comes most naturally: gather with friends and family around a braai, eat far too much, argue about who makes the best tjops and boerewors, and somehow turn an ordinary day into a celebration.
The spirit of Ubuntu underpins this diversity with the understanding that our lives are connected, that my wellbeing is tied to yours, and that we are stronger when we look out for one another. As much as we’ve made enormous strides towards becoming a more equal society, we have a lot more to do to become more respectful, more uplifting and more accepting. We need to be curious about one another rather than suspicious. To ask questions rather than make assumptions. To celebrate differences rather than simply tolerate them.
Because South Africa has so much potential, we have so many reasons to be proud to be South African. We have beautiful landscapes and lekker people. We all want our children to be safe. We all want opportunities to build better lives. We all want to belong, to be respected and to have someone say, “Ag man, I’ve got you.” And perhaps we could extend that concept of Ubuntu to our neighbours from the continent. We are all children of Africa, let’s learn to see bigger pictures, to lend a helping hand, to live with each other and make the world see South Africa for its kindness, its warmth and its capabilities.
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