South Africans: The Toughest People on Earth

If there were an Olympic event for resilience, South Africans would take gold, silver, and bronze, before heading home to find the lights off because Eskom is at it again. We live in a country where the government is more interested in self-preservation than service delivery, where potholes are now considered natural landmarks, and where we’ve mastered the fine art of keeping the economy alive despite the best efforts of those in charge to run it into the ground. And yet, despite it all, we remain stubbornly, almost irrationally patriotic.

The Man on the Street

Forget the headlines, the corruption scandals, and the never-ending political circus. The real

South Africa isn’t found in parliament. It’s in the corner café, the morning traffic jams, the

queue at Home Affairs (where patience is tested at Olympic levels), and the small businesses

that somehow keep going despite load shedding, red tape, and the world’s most creative

tax collection system.

Walk through any suburb, township, or city street, and you’ll find ordinary South Africans

just trying to get on with life. We help strangers push broken-down cars. We share

extension cords during blackouts. We rally around community clean-up initiatives. We don’t

need government handouts—we’ve already learned that if we want anything to work

properly, we’ll have to do it ourselves.

Patriotism, Against All Odds

Here’s the thing: despite the economic free-fall, the crime statistics that read like a horror

film and the fact that we’re all slowly being taxed into oblivion, we love this country. Not in

the naive, flag-waving, utopian way that politicians try to sell us, but in a deep, unshakable

way that comes from knowing that, no matter how bad it gets, we’d rather be here than

anywhere else.

It’s why we still braai in 35-degree heat during Stage 6 load shedding. It’s why we watch

every single Springbok game like our lives depend on it. It’s why, with hand on heart, we

sing the anthem with great gusto. It’s why we still hold onto the dream that, somehow,

South Africa can be better, not because of those in charge, but in spite of them.

The Great Divide—Created for Control

The problem is our unity terrifies politicians. The moment we start getting along too well,

they crank up the division. Suddenly, everything is about race, class, and privilege. One day

we’re all celebrating a World Cup win together, the next, we’re being told that our

neighbour is the enemy. The truth is, ordinary South Africans don’t hate each other, we’re

just too busy trying to survive to play the political blame game.

But that’s the trick, isn’t it? Keep the people distracted, divided and disillusioned, and they

won’t have time to ask why government officials drive luxury cars while hospitals run out of

medicine. Keep them fighting over who had what 30 years ago, and they won’t notice who’s

looting the future.

We’re Not Going Anywhere

And yet, despite everything, we stay and fight. We complain, we meme the madness, we

find humour in the chaos, but we don’t leave, because this is home. And deep down, we

know that the politicians will come and go, but South Africans will always be here, keeping

this country alive. We don’t need their slogans. We don’t need their empty promises. 

We just need each other, a bit of electricity, and maybe, just maybe, a functioning

government. But until then, we’ll keep pushing forward, like we always have. Because if

there’s one thing South Africans do better than anyone else, it’s survive!