South
African Minister of Sport and Recreation, The Honourable Fikile Mbalula, was
among the first people to send his congratulations to Bafana Bafana following
their victory over the Central African Republic (CAR) in a Brazil 2014 FIFA
World Cup qualifier.
Bafana
Bafana defeated CAR 3-0 with goals from Bernard Parker, Siphiwe Tshabalala and
Katlego Mashego.
Minister
Mbalula said the boys had done the country proud.
“Congratulations
to the boys, they really did us proud,” he said in a short message relayed to
the team in Cameroon.
SAFA
President, Kirsten Nematandani says the win keeps Bafana Bafana firmly on track
for qualification.
“The
victory augurs very well for our hopes, dreams and wishes of going to Brazil in
2014. We have five steps to follow, meaning winning our next five games. We
have dealt with one (CAR) now we are left with four (Ethiopia, Botswana and the
home and away play-offs) which translates to 360 minutes of play. So far
everything has worked according to plan. What makes the victory even sweeter is
that we won by such a big margin away from home,” said Nematandani.
“I
would like to say congratulations to Gordon and the boys, they did not
disappoint. They hoisted the country’s flag high under difficult circumstances.
We should also thank the people of Cameroon for their hospitality. And last,
but not least, our gratitude goes to our people back home for their unwavering
support for the national team, and for standing by the team. I hope this will
inspire the boys even more in our next difficult match against Ethiopia.”
Nematandani
also wished Madiba a speedy recovery from hospital.
“May
the good Lord give him the strength he needs, we will always look up to him as
he is an inspiration not just to our nation, but to the whole world. On behalf
of the South African Football Association, I would like to wish him a speedy
recovery so he can continue to inspire all nations,” concluded Nematandani.
