Hats off to a winning nation

Thursday, August 22, 2024

Cabinet has praised the nation’s sportsmen and women, who continue to proudly fly the flag high in various sporting codes around the world, and further unite the country.

This follows a series of remarkable victories recently, for South African athletes on the global stage.

“These victories demonstrated the power of sport to unite and transcend all boundaries.

“Cabinet encourages South Africans to use unifying moments as an opportunity to reach out to fellow South Africans to build the society that we want to live in,” Minister in The Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said during a post Cabinet media briefing, on Thursday.

The Springboks, South Africa's rugby world champions, defeated Australia for the second time at the weekend, maintaining their unbeaten record in the Rugby Championship.

In Perth, Dricus du Plessis defended his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight title with a stunning win over Nigeria’s Israel Adesanya.

The Proteas continued with the winning streak by defeating the West Indies in the second cricket test in Guyana, clinching the series 1-0. 

Meanwhile, Team SA made history at the 2024 Paris Olympics, securing 1 gold, 3 silver, and 2 bronze medals, doubling their medal tally from the 2021 Tokyo Games.

“This achievement will live long in our collective memories,” Ntshavheni said.

She further celebrated the South African relay team -- Bayanda Walaza, Bradley Nkoana, Shaun Maswanganyi and Akani Simbine -- for winning silver in the men's 4x100m relay final, setting a new African record of 37.57 seconds.

Additionally, Jo-Ane van Dyk earned a silver medal in the women's javelin event. – SAnews.gov.za