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Team SA needs all the support it can get

WE HAVE not yet reached our cruising altitude, as we embark on this journey of nations of the world, where every country has to showcase how their sport development programme has unleashed good results for high performance.

The results in the international arena will be proof of the success of a country's development programme. Then we will all join in song, "Your victory makes history".

The current injection of cash and value in kind support by various companies to Team SA is encouraging.

Last week, we converged under the banner of sponsorship at the SAA Technical, the venue where those big airplanes are being serviced. This value in kind by the national carrier is but one of the many to come from various financial and resource pools this country can offer.

We welcome any effort to help Team SA to perform better at the 2012 London Olympics.

We have said it before, we are saying it again: We are the grandchildren of warriors and strategists in Kings and Queens in Moshoeshoe, Sekhukhune, Shaka, Hintsa and others. We are the children of Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu, OR Tambo and those forebears who sacrificed their lives for us to prosper.

This is the kind of motivation that needed to be instilled in our athletes.

This motivation must also be instilled in the hearts and minds of all the business people to help us achieve our goal to get those 12 medals.

As Team SA, to make the country proud, we need big business, state-owned enterprises and all interested parties to invest their time, energies and trust in the team to bring us medals from London. We are hopeful that by the time the departure day comes, we would have had many companies knocking at the Team SA door to inject more resources. It's every family's dream to hear and watch the whole stadium stand, singing the national anthem and the flag flying high during medal presentations. Let's do good for our country - invest in this good cause.

Our athletes must understand that they are our ambassadors and must focus their energies on ensuring that they sharpen their tools to represent the hopes of millions of South Africans. The South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee has been on a national road show to canvass more resources for our team.

South Africa is a model country where we help our fellow competitors to use our resources for this competitive sport. If Usain Bolt can pass by SA to sharpen his skills, it should serve as motivation to achieve more. We salute all those who have already given their support to Team SA. It helps to work together.

King Louis Oosthuizen, we are proud of what you achieved in Malaysia at the weekend. The whole world was watching when you lifted the Malaysian Open.

You are truly an ambassador for our country.

Late last year we went to New York to meet the NBA leadership as part of bringing more basketball to the country. Part of this was the SABC signing a broadcast agreement to televise the NBA in our country. The game is important to our young people.

Congratulations and thanks to the broadcaster.

We hope Sascoc will try to help Basketball SA resolve their administrative challenges. It is truly a sad story, that a code as important as basketball is bankrupt and fails to comply with the internal Sport and Recreation funding policies.

Together we can do more in ensuring we bring back medals. We are capable.

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