As South Africa prepares to mark the 30th anniversary of Bafana Bafana's historic 1996 Africa Cup of Nations triumph on 3 February, Deputy Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Peace Mabe has described the victory as a defining moment that symbolised the dawn of democracy.
Mabe says the tournament united South Africans across race, class and sector, as the country rallied behind the national team while building a new South Africa.
She notes that the 1996 victory came at a critical time, when South Africa was re-entering the global sporting arena after years of isolation caused by apartheid, and had much to prove to the international community.
