Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) victories, international trophies and Olympic medals have made being South African a pleasure and tremendous source of pride.
South African pride is soaring, with UFC victories, another Rugby World Cup win and a handful Olympic medals. Dricus Du Plessis’ recent UFC title defense, the Springboks maintaining their world champion status and Tyla’s musical accolades are all examples of how South Africans are making their presence known on the global stage.
On Sunday, August 18, 2024, South African UFC fighter Dricus Du Plessis retained his UFC Middleweight Championship by submitting Israel Adesanaya. Seven months prior to that, Du Plessis became the first South African UFC champion after he defeated Sean Strickland for the championship.
These recent triumphs build on a wave of victories that all started just less than a year ago when the Springboks won back-to-back World Cups by defeating New Zealand in 2023. Euphoria was injected into the air as South Africans celebrated. The victory showcased that despite the challenges we face as a nation, South Africans can achieve on a world stage.
In the same year, the global music stage was set alight by South African popstar Tyla, who released her breakout hit Water. The single gained Tyla worldwide recognition, receiving a Grammy and a BET award in 2024; achievements which are unprecedented for South African performers. Tyla continues to display her South African pride and has made it easy for her fans to relate with and adore her.
These accomplishments, however, are not enough for us to turn a blind eye to the issues that we face as a nation. South Africa continues to experience high levels of crime as well as high unemployment, with there being an average of 45% youth unemployment. South Africa has a rich history of inequality and oppression, and the longstanding effects of these detriments continue to affect the modern lived experience of South Africans.
So, the question is why could anybody be proud of being a South African? Racism has been a longstanding component of the nation and there continues to be unequal distributions of wealth; why on earth would I be proud of being from such a nation? The answer for me is simple – because it’s my nation of birth and I have no choice but to be proud of it.
Despite the issues that the nation faces, South Africa is made of a variety of beautiful cultures and languages that give us our unique identity. Our differences are our strength in many cases.
2024 has been a great indication of the rollercoaster of emotions that South Africans must endure. In the month of May, the National Elections saw South Africans vote for a new government, resulting in a national coalition government for the first time in its history. This, coupled with Bafana Bafana’s third place victory in the AFCON tournament and the South African Olympic team receiving six medals all make up for an eventful year for South Africans.
I am a proud South African and I am a firm believer that our nation has so much potential to fight for. In the face of challenges and obstacles, I am confident that South Africa will find ways to prevail, and I encourage every South African to share the same belief. We, as South Africans, are not allowing the ghosts of our pasts to affect our present but are rather focused on building a better future for South Africa.
FEATURED IMAGE: South African flag reworked into DNA helix. Photo: Reddit/@lwazilwapheshey
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