Springboks never give up – and neither do we

South Africa woke on Monday morning exhausted, relieved and marking itself “safe” after a World Cup quarterfinal that can only be described as a rugby earthquake. Our collective heart rates may have returned to normal (just), but our collective heart is bursting with pride.

In what is being touted as the greatest game of rugby ever played, we bore witness to 80 minutes of heroism. With every fibre of our souls we urged our Springboks to fight on with every fibre of their very being. They defended their single point until the final seconds.

The Springboks never gave up.

In a country of such huge diversity, 12 official languages, a melting pot of different cultures and histories, it is an art to pinpoint what exactly defines “being South African”... that one thing that we can all relate to, that makes us “us”.

We’d like to offer this:

South Africa never gives up.

It’s not just a game to us. It is the hope. We don’t have it much these days. In his post-match interview, Siya Kolisi said, “it’s about the people back home. That’s what’s driving us. Win or lose, they will see that kind of fight that you saw out here today.”

We all need to fight for South Africa with that same heart and soul.

We can’t just leave it up to the Springboks. And we need to fight for them too. There’s a chance for us all to feel this hope in every corner of the country. And so many South Africans need just that, a chance.

At Daily Maverick, we’re always on. We too never give up. For us, every day is our green-and-gold Bok Friday; we fight for South Africa to have a future.

We’re able to do this because of 26,000 Maverick Insider members who pay our salaries so that the rest of the nation can read us for free. These Insiders… they have the Bokke spirit. They are our supporters cheering us on from the sidelines.

The majority of our readers simply can’t afford to help us financially. They are the reason we don’t have a paywall. We fight for the next generation to feel hopeful every day and not just during a Rugby World Cup. But we need the help of our readers to keep this fighting flame burning.

For those of you who can afford any amount, we ask you this Bok Frida to join us as a Maverick Insider. Fight for South Africa. And never, ever give up.

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