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JOHANNESBURG - South African President Thabo Mbeki on Sunday urged his countrymen to give the Springboks a tumultuous welcome when the newly crowned rugby world champions return from France.
"They have done the country very proud... I think all of us need to ... salute," the team, he said.
"When they come back we must all of us join them in the celebrations that are planned."
The Boks were crowned champions for the second time after beating former champions England 15-6 in the final in Paris on Saturday.
The champs will show off the Webb Ellis Cup on a six-city, four-day tour of the country which will start on October 26 when they will be guests of honour at a reception hosted by Mbeki before an open-top bus tour across Johannesburg as well as Soweto.
The team will also visit Bloemfontein, Durban and Port Elizabeth before finishing their tour in Cape Town on October 29.
With the racial composition of the team always been a matter of intense debate in the country, Sports Minister Makhenkesi Stofile said the win should usher in a new era in sport.
"This victory should herald a new era in which we all embrace change and tackle the challenges still being faced by our rugby and sport in general," Stofile said in a statement.
"Our victory during the 1995 World Cup offered us a window to see what South Africa can be. We did not build on that. May we not commit the same error after this second chance," he added.
- AFP
