I feel proud when I hear things like this. Big ups to Roland.

Are you an African?

:grouphug:

I am an African: Roland Schoeman

5 December 2005

South African swimming sensation Roland Schoeman has turned down a multi-million dollar offer to represent the Gulf state of Qatar, saying it was of "tremendous importance to me that I am part of the vibrant, challenging, frustrating, beautiful and above all hopeful country I call home".

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"I have given instructions that the negotiations following the second approach from Qatar to swim for them should not be pursued any further," Schoeman said through a statement read by Swimming South Africa president Jace Naidoo in Johannesburg on Monday.

:applause:

Schoeman and Ryk Neethling, members of South Africa's world record setting 4x100m freestyle team, were earlier this year both offered US$1-million a year for three years by the Gulf nation to defect and swim for them.

Last week, Croatian Olympic silver medalist Duje Draganja accepted a similar offer. "In Qatar I am getting conditions that a swimmer can only dream about," Draganja was quoted as saying.


:applause:
Neethling refused Qatar's offer and called on Fina, the world governing body for aquatic sports, to take steps to preserve "the sanctity of nationhood" in sport.

Schoeman also declined the initial offer - and on Monday said that "after serious and thorough consideration" he had decided to turn down a second, even more lucrative one.

"You will understand that this was not a simple and straightforward decision," Schoeman said in his statement. "While I fully understand the immediate financial implications of this decision, I believe and trust that solutions to this problem will be found within South Africa.

'Sacrifice and commitment'
"I am acutely aware that South Africa is where it is today because of the sacrifice and commitment of large numbers of people over many years," Schoeman said.

"As well, that the stability and democracy we have attained thus far has not been founded on pursuing short-term gains. It has been based on a willingness to seek long-term solutions to promote the well being of all the people of South Africa. I believe that this should be true for me as well."

In making his choice, Schoeman said, he had "reconfirmed for myself that it is of tremendous importance to me that I am part of the vibrant, challenging, frustrating, beautiful and above all hopeful country I call home.

"Each one of my achievements has been accompanied by a tremendously strong sense of being an integral part of something enormously meaningful. That I am an African - and more specifically a South African.

"There is much that remains to be done to ensure that South Africa will be a haven to all its people," Schoeman said.

"I believe that sport serves to aid nation building, that it has the ability to unite people and can be used to work towards the greater good of all. It provides a vehicle that allows every person in South Africa to dream and to 'believe in the impossible'. I have a place to fulfil in this process.

"While I am significantly poorer today than I could have been, I feel tremendously blessed that it is Nkosi sikelel' iAfrika that will be played if I win a gold medal."

World records, gold medals
Schoeman, currently based in the United States, would have been a huge catch for Qatar. At the 2005 world championships in Montreal, he won the 50m freestyle and butterfly titles and collected silver in the 100m freestyle.

In the process, he became the second fastest swimmer ever in the 50m freestyle (21.69) and the first to break 23 seconds for the 50m butterfly, setting a new world record of 22.96.

Earlier in the year, at the short-course swimming World Cup in Berlin, Schoeman equalled the world record for the 100m short course freestyle (46.25). At the Stockholm leg of the series, he broke the world record in the 100m individual medley, clocking 52.51.

At the 2004 Athens Olympics, Schoeman won gold in the 4x100m, silver in the 100m and bronze in the 50m freestyle, becoming the first South African to win three medals at an Olympics - though his haul did not better Penny Heyns' two golds (100m and 200m breastroke) at the 1996 Atlanta Games.

The SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee has named all four members of the 4x100m freestyle team that took gold at Athens - Schoeman, Neethling, Lyndon Ferns and Darian Townsend - in South Africa's team for the 2006 Commonwealth Games to be held in Melbourne, Australia in March.

:cheer: :banana2:

Expatriates 'still South African'

Read the bold line, its time to come back homee.

6 December 2005

The majority of South Africans living abroad remain connected to their home country in various ways and intend to return in the future, according to a survey commissioned by Homecoming Revolution.

The research, conducted by Research International, found that 46% of South Africans living abroad source local news on a daily basis, and that 77% have some form of investment in South Africa.

Over 1 000 South Africans living abroad were interviewed for the survey, with 81% saying they intend to return to SA in the future.

The research sample was made up exclusively of people with ready internet access. Although representing a diverse group, "this sample cannot be considered to be conclusively representative of the country's population or of those South Africans abroad," Research International noted.

Homecoming Revolution is a non-profit organisation, sponsored by First National Bank, that encourages and helps South Africans abroad to return to the country.

Homecoming Revolution MD Martine Schaffer said the findings were especially significant in the light of the recent message from the government that South Africa needed more skills to grow its economy.

Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka told the Sunday Times two weeks ago that the government was looking to recruit skilled white South Africans at home and abroad as part of its programme to boost economic growth to 6% of GDP by 2014.

Research findings
According to the Research International survey, South Africans living abroad are still very interested in what is going on in SA, with 46% sourcing news on SA on a daily basis and 18% sourcing such news at least two to three times a week.

Of those who took part in the survey, 77% still have some form of investment in South Africa: 69% have a bank account, 32% still own a house, and 29% still maintain their SA retirement annuity.

Eighty-one percent of those who participated in the survey intend to return to SA in the future - 35% because SA is "home / where they were born", 34% because family and friends are still in SA.

One in three of these people say they aim to start their own business on their return. Sixty-nine percent of all respondents believe the entrepreneurial climate in SA has improved, while 33% believe there are many opportunities in South Africa for people like themselves.

Sixty-three percent of those surveyed believe the country will be better off in 10 years' time; 48% believe South Africa has "a fantastic future" in store. The majority (62%) are more positive about SA than they were five years ago, compared to 22% who are now more negative about the country.

Of those who said they would not return to SA, 44% cited crime as a deterrent. Other reasons given were lack of job opportunities (15%), poorer quality of life (20%), and affirmative action and black economic empowerment (19%).

Seventy-one percent of all those surveyed said they were proud to have been born South African; 61% said they would really like to "give something back" to South Africa.

Fantastic series of articles. Couldnt agree more, and am very pleased with Schoemans attitude. It just goes to show how pathetic those who do SA down all the time actually are and how it is they who have their heads in the sand and frankly are not worth the time of day.

:cheers: Schoeman makes us all proud to be South African. SAlute!
I just hope that swimSA is taking note and will give these superb athletes the best support and reward them greatly for their great statemanship!
Here's to our 4 Olympic Gold medalists :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow:

They want more money in sponsorship, making it more certain that our athletes will turn down offers.