Siya Kolisi has a dream to change South Africa — are you up to the challenge?

Mark, for a small part of the answer go and look at what many schools in the Boland and Western Cape (e.g. Paarl Boys High School, Paarl) and their former pupils, many in an individual and/or collective capacity are doing in uplifting and integrating communities...

No Mark, it will be lost! The Politicians will allow us a day or two to celebrate together, to enjoy what it feels like to win together & then they will do their best to remind us why we should remain divided. In fact, I would go so far as to say, South Africans standing together is a threat to their very existence! Last night our President spoke of Hope. But it was couched in a 'we still have some kind of chance' tone & without sounding entirely convinced himself. The Hope I have - the Belief - is that the majority of South Africans are 'good people'. We might not all understand the details of the mess we are in right now - but most people know that things would be better if we just worked together. You see Mark, Siya's message - the foundation of the Bok success - that's not a message for 'ordinary folk' its a message to our Politicians, to our Union Leaders to our CEO's about what can be achieved if you work together towards a higher purpose & for the common good - rather than your own narrow self interest & personal survival! Unfortunately Mark, I think we have some very small & particularly unremarkable people at the helm right now. It's not (as you say) that this Country is not blessed with talent - but I challenge you to identify it (on one hand) amongst our current crop of so called Leaders & in whose hands our fate lies

"Watching someone like Siya, coming from the same townships as our parents and grandparents, is somewhat of a soft vengeance, and a recognition that we have always had it, you are only now finding out.” Yeah, vengeance against the ANC politicians that still keep the people down; steal the money that was meant to improve their lives; use their mates to build RDP houses that fall apart very quickly; allow 'teachers' to do nothing to educate the people; 'cadavers' sorry, 'cadres' who are so useless you'd wish they'd been given a few hundred thousand rand to eff off, but wouldn't have gone anyway because there was so much more to steal. And so on, and so on. It's about time you ANC apologists stop blaming the past and accept that your mates are totally and utterly useless and need to be kicked out so a coalition led by the DA - who have done amazing things in the Cape against huge odds (thanks to the same useless ANC stuffing up the Eastern Cape) - can get in and fix the country up.

I was raised in a township in apartheid, my dad ignored that and we was a family in a all race church and members were like family and the consequences is mindblowing I have a npo to teach youth the power of positivity unity and love has.Siya also does that, just love south africans and its powerful. Mandela did it and it is powerful. There are more good than bad ,let us build on good

It is sad that this very special moment should be sullied and burdened by problems that are self inflicted by the current ruling elite. Siya and the entire set up is so very representative of what should happen in our country. The exact opposite of the dogmatic and outdated policies of the ruling party, the exact opposite of the sense of entitlement they profess, job destroying BEE and resultant collapse of key industries, SOE's and infrastructure. Of course we must try and embrace the moment, but I think that the willing donors are now much more wary of contributing to processes used to stuff large sums of money away in Dubai or anywhere else.

Couldn’t agree more. PLEASE can we let bygones be bygones and build back our country? As the article says, it won’t be easy and it won’t happen overnight, but attitudes can change overnight.

I've given up hope for SA. We have an electorate that overwhelmingly rewards incompetence and thievery in their representatives. That is unlikely to change any time soon. Us saffers apparently have an average IQ of between 68 and 71 depending on scale. I find that easy to believe after every election.

As South Africans, each of us need to take baby steps to focus on what unites us and not divide us. That is exactly what Siya and his team did for us. What can I, as an individual do to unite the citizens of our country? It starts with me, in my own home, my country, my neighbourhood, the man on the street. I need to make a difference, wherever I find myself. Imagine the impact if each and every South African put in some effort towards unity, genuine neighbourly love for each other instead of sowing division, living in the past, fearing one another! Lets us roll up our sleeves and work hard, just like the Boks did, they gave their everything in the final until the very last minute in order to become RWC champions. Let us follow their example! Halala!

Sadly no sport can ever unite a country, at best all it can do is provide transient respite. And hope, all too often tends to be just a distraction from facing the reality of what needs to be done. The Xhosa have a saying, "ithemba alibulali, liyadanisa/ hope does not kill, it disappoints". South Africans need to face their individual and collective contributions to the country's failures.