Back to reality for the nation after cup glory

WHERE to from here? We’ve seen it all before. The wave of unity and harmony and goodwill that accompanied our previous Rugby World Cup triumphs had a limited shelf life.

Yes, people cheered and hugged in the streets as the cavalcade of heroes drove past, just as we embraced and laughed together when the final whistle blew on Saturday.

In the bigger picture, it reminds us of the outpouring of emotion when hope was realised and the country experienced democracy for the first time in 1994.

The rainbow nation had been established and the spirit of the great Madiba opened visions of peace and prosperity never seen before.

But even optimism has a sellby date, and we rode on that one for as long as we could as we watched all the prospects and positive predictions slowly dwindle and diminish.

Corruption, state capture, a failing fiscus, crime, and the general deterioration and collapse of state-run institutions increasingly took hold.

These resulted in most of the problems we now sit with, such as load-shedding, rising interest rates, and a rand that is in freefall.

The world cup euphoria won’t last, wonderful as it is.

We need to actively address those things that have caused the breakdown of the nation.

But we can still do so in a positive frame of mind.

After all, South Africa is still blessed with many positives that could make us prosperous, such as our mineral wealth and tourism potential.

It’s a beautiful country blessed with wonderful people, who are creative, honest and hardworking.

What’s broken can be mended and to do this we need the same mindset as the boys in green and gold: unity, integrity, passion, courage and honest striving.

In other words, a winning mentality that all will want to buy into.

We have an election looming: if we select the right team, we can overcome any obstacle.