South Africans focus too intensely on what is bad, Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu said on Wednesday.
"Yes, the state of our political firmament, and the lawlessness, cannot be ignored," he said in a speech prepared for delivery at Lead SA's third anniversary.
"But my heart soared on Saturday where we witnessed ecstatic Bafana Bafana supporters giving the Springboks such a rousing welcome. And the Springboks bore the word, 'unite' on their sleeves."
Anyone who imagined this scene in the 1980s would have been accused of hallucinating, if not terrorism, and would have been taken to an asylum or prison, Tutu said.
South Africans knew better than anyone else what power sport had to bring people together.
Bafana Bafana and the Spingboks participated in a inaugural Nelson Mandela Sport and Culture Day at FNB Stadium in Soweto at the weekend.
A South African 'Legends' soccer team took on an Italian 'Masters' outfit, followed by the Bafana Bafana international friendly game against Burkina Faso.
The Springboks then host Argentina, in their 2013 Rugby Championship opener, at the same venue.
Tutu lauded Lead SA for the good work it had done.
"Lead SA is the kind of initiative that helps to sustainably tease out the good that resides in us all."
He said the organisation also spoke to the principle of servant leadership embodied in former president Nelson Mandela.
"Strong societies have strong civil societies, with citizens who are active and engaged, who, through their active engagement, have earned the right to hold their leadership to account."
SA focus intensely on bad: Tutu
South Africans focus too intensely on what is bad, Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu said on Wednesday.
"Yes, the state of our political firmament, and the lawlessness, cannot be ignored," he said in a speech prepared for delivery at Lead SA's third anniversary.
"But my heart soared on Saturday where we witnessed ecstatic Bafana Bafana supporters giving the Springboks such a rousing welcome. And the Springboks bore the word, 'unite' on their sleeves."
Anyone who imagined this scene in the 1980s would have been accused of hallucinating, if not terrorism, and would have been taken to an asylum or prison, Tutu said.
South Africans knew better than anyone else what power sport had to bring people together.
Bafana Bafana and the Spingboks participated in a inaugural Nelson Mandela Sport and Culture Day at FNB Stadium in Soweto at the weekend.
A South African 'Legends' soccer team took on an Italian 'Masters' outfit, followed by the Bafana Bafana international friendly game against Burkina Faso.
The Springboks then host Argentina, in their 2013 Rugby Championship opener, at the same venue.
Tutu lauded Lead SA for the good work it had done.
"Lead SA is the kind of initiative that helps to sustainably tease out the good that resides in us all."
He said the organisation also spoke to the principle of servant leadership embodied in former president Nelson Mandela.
"Strong societies have strong civil societies, with citizens who are active and engaged, who, through their active engagement, have earned the right to hold their leadership to account."
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