‘You are our heroes’ – Zizi Kodwa applauds Bafana for their sacrifices

by Staff Bona

Although Bafana Bafana lost the opportunity to advance to the AFCON finals, Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, Zizi Kodwa, reminded the players after their semi-final match that their efforts did not go in vain.

The South African national soccer team took on Nigeria in a nail-biting match that ended 1-1 after 90 minutes which then resulted in the loss of a 4-2 penalty shootout. The team will now go on to face the losing team in the Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) versus Democratic Republic of Congo semi-final match for third place on Saturday evening.

Seen in the locker room addressing the team off camera, Zizi shared the pride he has for the players while also stating that they can expect a welcome from President Cyril Ramaphosa when they return to South Africa.

Providing the team with words of positivity, Zizi added, “You are our heroes. You really fought … but I want to thank you for the sacrifices you have made on behalf of your country. You left your families … You are an inspiration to many young people … they too can come to this stage where you are playing.”

The Minister concluded, “I look forward to welcoming you on behalf of the country when you arrive back home. Well done, you have done extremely well to get where we are. I’m sure the Doubting Thomases back home never expected you to be here after the loss to Mali. Congratulations, and thank you very much, guys.”

The video of Zizi’s address to Bafana Bafana was shared on X (formerly Twitter) where he captioned his post, “You fought like warriors at AFCON, Bafana Bafana. You are an inspiration to many with your performances in the tournament. Through you, we now have sufficient building blocks for the next World Cup. Phambili Bafana Bafana!”

Also see: Nigerians in SA urged not to celebrate loudly should they beat Bafana