Soweto (South Africa) (AFP)

"To see them like that with eyes in my eyes, I'm crying," loose Khanyisile Makumbana, a young black South African, after the merry crowd that accompanied the parade of world rugby champions in the township of Soweto.

The 16-year-old girl could not miss this historic moment, which symbolizes the path traveled by South Africa since the fall of the racist regime in 1994.

She plays rugby in Soweto, a major township in Johannesburg. Inconceivable a few years ago.

For rugby and the Springboks, the national XV reserved for decades to the only white minority, have long "symbolized the arrogance of Afrikaner power," descendants of white settlers, says Bongani Dlamini, a retired teacher from Soweto.

"Thirty years ago, it would have been crazy to wear the green jersey here, it would have been risking his life," he adds.

Thursday, however, is a green tide and gold, the colors of "Boks", which hosted the world champions.

The times have changed. At the World Cup in Japan this year, the Springboks were led for the first time by a black captain, Siya Kolisi, propelled from the hero of the "rainbow" nation dreamed of by Nelson Mandela, the first South Korean president. Black African (1994-1999).

On Thursday, some whites made the trip to Soweto.

Peter Schultz wanted to come with his two young children to witness the "beginning of a new era". "It's great that the team is more representative of the country," said the 45-year-old lawyer.

- To change the mentalities -

Having Siya Kolisi captain "proves that rugby is not just for whites," says Khanyisile Makumbana.

The young player now feels her wings grow like her classmates at Soweto Rugby School Academy (SRSA), one of three rugby schools in the township, where football remains king. "I want to be Kolisi and join the first women's Springbok team," she says.

Hope is allowed. Siya Kolisi "has taken the same route as these kids," says Chris Litau, the founder of SRDC, created in 2016 and which welcomes 250 young people, including fifty girls.

"He did not have cleats, they do not have cleats, he had no food, they do not have food," adds the semi-professional player.

The lesson of this victory is that "if you put yourself in the right state of mind, you can win," says Khanyisile.

The teenager trains three times a day on dusty ground, strewn with shards of glass and plastic bottles. Despite this, she was selected this year for a prestigious tournament between high school students, mostly white.

When Chris Litau opened the academy - which also offers support classes in English, math and physics - it was not won. It was necessary to change mentalities, "to convince those who said it was a white sport".

Tshegofatso Mmapitsa, who came to greet the Boks on Thursday, had to start training in secret. For his family, rugby was far too violent.

- 'Afraid of nothing' -

The oval balloon finally gave these Soweto girls the confidence they lacked in a society plagued by violence against women.

On the field, "rugby allows us to kick, scream without being stopped!" Khanyisile rejoices, long embarrassed in class for his approach too masculine.

It is today ancient history. No one dares to harass her.

Keletso Seboko, 18, agrees. "We are not scared of anything, we feel powerful, I feel I can walk alone at night" without fear of being assaulted, she says with a resolute voice.

The slogan of the academy, carried by volunteers, summarizes the state of mind of these young players: "gold fighters".

Fighters, because the daily remains complicated. Khanyisile does not have running water at home. Her mother, a cook, can not afford a bus ticket to see her daughter play.

On the field, however, the dozens of SRDC youths dressed in patched school uniforms and tired street shoes are struggling in the oppressive heat. What give hope to Chris Litau. "My dream," he says, "is that one of them wears the Springbok jersey one day."

© 2019 AFP