I have always known that I am more than just proud of South Africa - I am EXTREMELY passionate! If you ask me why, I would struggle to find the start point and the end. But on 14 June, at the first ever Confederation Cup on African soil, gave me the chance to prioritise my points of pride. Standing in the Ellis park stand with 47 000 other South Africans (only about 1000 Iraqi fans), the sounds of vuvuzelas, the viberant splash of colour and diversty that surrounded me-my overwhelming love for SA took over, confirming to me the things I love most about us!

Unity! After all said and done, the not-so-hot performace that Bafana Bafana showed us, the constant change of coaches and money disputes-all leading to doubtful, gatvol fans. I wondered if there would be a Bafana fan in the stands. But today, the nation united, no questions asked. Each fan taking ownership of the fact that this was a new dawn for Africa. No matter what, South Africa was going to stand behind their boys, and boy did they do that! We were present, charasmatic and stood up to the challenge as a nation.

Courage! The self-belief that our nation has is fantastic! Who would have even imagined that after just 15 years of democracy that we would be hosting the the biggest sporting tournament in the world?! Today, I experienced a confident nation that had overcome the insecurities of others and focused on the goal: Being alive with great possibility! Some points: Our stadiums are not ONLY ready but they are really top notch (ranked one of the best in the world),  the service from on-the-ground volunteers was amazing, security is tight and every single person (worker or fan) had a beautiful Mzansi smile on their faces. The demographics at the match were those of a rainbow nation!! The pride of the day saw both Springbok and Protea supporters come in droves! 

Fun! We know how to laugh at other and ourselves. We experience bursts of joy from small things, you know, boerewors roll and beer and boy did we share our joy with our visitors-making them feel welcome!

There is so much I love about our country, one of which is the freedom that we now experience, the freedom and opportunity for me to learn from yester-year heartache and at the same time watch that very generation create opportunities for us to reconcile and laugh together! As we approach Youth Day-June 16-I urge us take on our individual responsibilty to honour the bravey and courage of the students on that day in 1976, but also to confidently look forward at the bright future that stands before us. The Confederations Cup and World Cup are just two more ways the world have shown their belief in us, it’s now up to us!