‘Hulle weet nie wat ons weet nie’: The rise of South Africa’s sporting success
- activateeditor
- Aug 11
- 4 min read
By Erin Arends
As South Africans, we are blessed to live in a country with such diversity. We house people of different races and cultures, yet there is one thing that unites us as a nation: sports. Whether it’s cricket, rugby, soccer, or even athletics, South Africa is a sports-loving country, and the athletes who represent the ‘rainbow nation’ know that when they perform, they are doing it for every South African. In the past few years, South Africa has been waving its flag high and showing the rest of the world that we deserve to be acknowledged, especially in the world of sports.
In 2024, Dricus du Plessis became South Africa’s first UFC middleweight champion, and in his winning speech, he said the phrase that started a movement: “Hulle weet nie wat ons weet nie.” Directly translated, the phrase means “They don’t know what we know.” Dricus continued to explain what the phrase means. “It’s a statement that even though we’re underdogs, even though we don’t all have what all these big countries have…we have all these challenges, and it doesn’t really matter.” Coming from a country with many challenges, we are still able to rise to the occasion when given the opportunity. The statement “Hulle weet nie wat ons weet nie” has quickly become a mantra used to support our national teams.
The Springboks, South Africa’s national rugby team, are probably the most celebrated sporting team in South Africa. They adopted Dricus’ phrase during their 2023 Rugby World Cup campaign, where they became four-time rugby world champions, the only country to do so. In a match where New Zealand was deemed the favorite, the Springboks showcased what they could achieve as the “underdogs.” The Springboks are a symbol of national pride and unity in a country where sport plays a crucial role in uniting us across racial and economic divides.
Having a knack for making sporting history, the Proteas, South Africa’s national cricket team, played against Australia in the 2025 ICC Men’s World Test Championship, where the men in ‘green and gold’ won their first-ever title in this game format. Led by captain Temba Bavuma, South Africa beat Australia by five wickets at the famous Lord’s Cricket Ground in England. Aiden Markram’s commanding 136 runs and Kagiso Rabada’s spectacular nine wickets were key moments that powered the team into a stunning comeback after a shaky start. In past years, the Proteas have been negatively labelled as the “chokers” as they could never claim victory. This astonishing feat has shed that label and revived the hopes of South African cricket fans.
The South African relay teams put on a strong performance to show that South Africans can excel at anything we do. At the 2025 World Athletics Relay in Guangzhou, China, the South African men’s team secured two gold and one bronze medal in the 4x100m and 4x400m. The women’s 4x400m team earned a bronze, making it a total of four medals won by Team South Africa. These victories included setting new world-leading times and a national record. The most exciting victory was the 4x100m men’s relay, which won gold against Olympic winners, Team USA. Bayanda Walaza, Sinesipho Dambile, Bradley Nkoana, and Akani Simbine achieved a season-best time of 37.61 seconds. Veteran sprinter Simbine mentions that they are “sending messages to the world” with their performance on the track. “The message that South Africans have been sending is that we are here and we can sprint too. South Africa, with the young crop that is coming through, is going to take over the world,” states Simbine in the post-race interview. The success of Team South Africa at the World Athletics Relay, as well as Simbine’s comment, highlights the strength and potential that South African sprinting fosters.
Everyone knows that South Africans are born with rhythm, and even at international levels, we’re recognised for our performance on stage. At the 2025 Dance World Cup Finals in Spain, South Africa finished 5th overall out of over 50 countries. The dance crew, consisting of 105 dancers, hauled an impressive 62 medals—22gold, 21 silver, and 19 bronze—across various categories. The category that seemed to be a standout for the South African team was the Street Dance and Commercial category, where they were crowned world champions. This cultural victory for South Africa fills the nation with immense pride and is a chance to celebrate these athletes for representing their country at the highest level.
People from other countries don’t understand what it means to be South African. They don’t know what we are willing to do to win and how far we are willing to go to be the best. South Africa is tired of being overlooked, and it is our time to show the world that once we put on our ‘green and gold’ armour, we can achieve anything. And we will have the entire nation backing us all the way.
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