A Tribute to Joost van der Westhuizen!
Programme Director;
Leadership of the Rugby Legend Association;
Mr Joost van der Westhuizen and Family;
Distinguished Guests;
All Players and Athletes present to grace this occasion;
Ladies and Gentlemen;
Fellow South Africans;
We are gathered here, this evening, to pay tribute to one of our own in the field of Sport in the Republic of South Africa and a stalwart in Rugby in our country. We are assembled here, today, to say well done to Mr Joost van der Westuizen who committed himself to make us all in South Africa proud and happy by his selfless honour of our colours and flag whenever he represented South Africa abroad.
Mr Joost was nearly born on almost the same month as I was born, but definitely, he knows that I am very old than him, not because I am today a Minister, but because of the experience I had as a young men. Joost knows very well that I am street wise. In the same token, I am equally aware that Joost van der Westuizen is sport-field wise. He at the age of 40 made sterling triumphs and excellent achievements in the history of Rugby across the world.
We want to pay our fitting tribute to you Joost for your sterling work you did for our country and for your dedication and commitment into ideals of the Republic of South Africa. We are inspired by your selflessness conduct on and off the field. We are also rejuvenated by your loyalty to South Africa and her people. We are equally impressed by your display of the spirit of uBuntu in your conduct of sport.
Today, Joost, we call you a former player in the mighty Springbok; a former South African rugby union player became our national team’s first preference during the 1990s in the position of scrum-half and because of his dedication and commitment into the winning team was capped 89 times for the Springboks and pocket 38 tries; and took his retirement as the most capped Springbok of all time.
But in the minds of the millions of South Africans, black and white, you will never be a former; you are our hero. You put smiles in the faces of South Africans in difficult times. In moments of your actions in the field of play, without noticing you have made many South Africans forget the abject poverty they live under. When glued on our Televisions most South Africans forgot many difficulties the faced and concentrated on your strategy and tactics to make our country a winning nation.
Joost in the field of play, you were like a lion and creature that fought tooth and nail for the victory of his country. In the rugby, Joost, you have displayed your skill like the tenacity of a cat and ferocity of a cornered bull. You did not fall short of the strategies to see us through in moment’s fierce challenge from opposite forces in the rugby field. You have put South Africa in the world map. You have put our country in higher heights of human development and civilization.
You have made the peoples of the world to see and look into Africa as an African Continent and South Africa as a country in the tip of Africa with a different eye. Today the people of the world no longer look at Africa as a Dark Continent; they look at us as a people of note, well done!
Ladies and Gentlemen, I was not here to make any speeches. I am coming from the national sport and recreation Indaba where speeches where made.I am here these evening to join you to say well done to Joost.
Thank you very much.
Brief Address of the Minister of Sport and Recreation, Honourable Mr FA Mbalula (MP), on the occasion of the Rugby Legend Function, Emperors Palace, Gauteng Province, Republic of South Africa, and 22 November 2011.
