SA Rugby has confirmed details of the Springboks’ victory tour, starting on Friday, to honour the team’s World Cup-winning performance in France. South African Rugby Union president Oregan Hoskins has appealed to the public to join in the celebrations by wearing green and gold.
The Springboks last weekend became only the second team after the Wallabies to win the Webb Ellis trophy for a second time.
On Wednesday, government ministers attended a Cabinet meeting clad in green and gold, demonstrating the national pride that has swept the country since the World Cup victory over England.
Most ministers wore a Springbok shirt or hat — deputy president Phumzile Mlambo-Ngquka wore both during question time in Parliament — and the walls of the meeting room were draped in rugby flags.
Government communications head Themba Maseko said this was the ministers’ way of showing appreciation to the Springboks for bringing the trophy back to South Africa after an absence of 12 years.
President Thabo Mbeki has invited the team for a courtesy visit on Friday to the Union Buildings in Pretoria, where he will formally congratulate the players and management.
On Saturday morning, former president and Nobel Peace Prize-winner Nelson Mandela will host the team during a brief visit to his residence in Houghton in Johannesburg.
The victory celebrations include ticker-tape parades through Pretoria, Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town as well as team appearances in Bloemfontein and Port Elizabeth.
The four-day victory tour starts on Friday shortly after the team leaves the Union Buildings. A parade will follow through the city centre of Pretoria, whereafter the convoy of buses will travel down the N1 South, past Vodaworld in Midrand, to the Sasol office complex in Rosebank.
The route also includes the Johannesburg city business district and a drive past the Absa headquarters. The last stop for the day is Montecasino in Fourways (entrance from William Nicol Drive), from where SuperSport will do a live broadcast between 5pm and 6pm.
On Saturday, Mandela will host the team at his residence in Houghton mid-morning, before the Springboks fly out to Bloemfontein. Activities there include a public reception at Grey College and an appearance at the Absa Currie Cup final match at Vodacom Park.
Visits to the coastal cities of Durban and Port Elizabeth are on the menu for Sunday.
The public of Durban will be able to see the team during a parade through the city streets, while Port Elizabeth fans will meet their heroes at the Greenacres shopping complex.
On Monday, in Cape Town, the victory parade starts at the City Hall opposite the Parade. The tour culminates in a symbolic handover of the World Cup trophy by John Smit to Hoskins. Capetonians will be able to attend this ceremony, and entrance to the Newlands Stadium will be free of charge. The estimated time of the handover is 1.30pm. — Sapa, Sapa-AP