EDITORIAL | Sport as diplomacy - TimesLIVE
It was former president Nelson Mandela who once said sport has “the power to change the world”, to inspire and to unite people “in a way that little else does”.
This was well demonstrated at last weekend’s Test match between South Africa and New Zealand at FNB Stadium, traditionally regarded as the home of local football. South Africans from all walks of life gathered at the iconic venue in Nasrec, near Soweto, in support of captain Siya Kolisi’s Springboks as they took on the All Blacks. Over the years, the Springboks have become a shining example of what the South African nation can achieve if it is true to its motto of unity in diversity.
It is not surprising, therefore, that the South African embassy in the US capital this week sought to use the Springboks to showcase the country’s strengths and dispel false narratives spread abroad by pockets of South African society that have not fully embraced the post-apartheid order.
Trump will not be US president forever, yet diplomatic and trade relations between the two countries will remain important for decades to come.
Ambassador Roelf Meyer and his officials hosted an event for the Springboks in Washington that was attended by US government representatives, private-sector companies and the local media.
The department of international relations & co-operation described the event as “diplomacy of the highest level” and said the intention was to “build bridges” with Americans.
Representing the Springboks at the event — held just two days before the team played the All Blacks in Baltimore — were Aphelele Fassi, Marco van Staden, Grant Williams, Paul de Villiers and Kurt-Lee Arendse.
Given the recent tensions with the US, especially with President Donald Trump’s administration, it is encouraging to see that the embassy has not given up on mending relations.
Trump will not be US president forever, yet diplomatic and trade relations between the two countries will remain important for decades to come.
Hence the need to continue strengthening people-to-people relations between the two countries that go far beyond incumbent administrations.
Hopefully, the embassy’s event, as well as the game last night, will leave many with no doubts about Trump’s claims of a “white genocide” in South Africa being a nonsensical tale promoted by those who wish only harm on our relatively young nation.
