The South Africa jersey also worn by Nelson Mandela

When thinking about iconic jerseys associated with African football, the mind goes to the geometric patterned uniforms of Nigeria, the daring kits of Cameroon, or the orange jerseys that accompanied the sporting rise of Ivory Coast. Few, however, remember a revolutionary jersey tied to a crucial moment in African football and the continent's history in general. The national team in focus is South Africa, and the jersey in question is the one that Kappa created in 1996 for the Africa Cup of Nations, which was held in South Africa. A polo-collared uniform with a geometric yet imaginative and artistic design. Specifically, Kappa designed a two-tone jersey: an ochre yellow upper part and a white lower part. Connecting these two elements were black horizontal bars cut diagonally at the bottom, turning white in the upper part as they extended over the chest to the left sleeve. To enhance the design, a zigzag-colored bar with very fine white and black horizontal lines ran along the upper part of the jersey on both the chest and the back.

A detail that aspired to represent the beginning of a new historical era for South Africa, the hope of a new community where brotherhood could erase the pain caused by segregation. Yes, because the 1996 edition of the Africa Cup of Nations was the first international tournament that South Africa participated in after FIFA's decision to end the isolation imposed on the federation in 1961 due to Apartheid and the segregationist regime. Thus, six months after hosting and winning the Rugby World Cup, South Africa welcomed the most important continental football competition due to Kenya's withdrawal, scared off by organizational costs. They did it with a modern jersey, etched into history by Bafana Bafana's success in that competition and also worn by President Nelson Mandela during the award ceremonies.

South Africa was one of the weakest teams in that Africa Cup of Nations edition. It was not equipped to do so, having returned to professional play only three years earlier after over 30 years of isolation. Yet, the insights of coach Clive Barker combined with the experience of players like Lucas Radebe and Phil Masinga, along with the enthusiasm generated by interactions between players and Nelson Mandela, made this result possible. A victory with incalculable political weight in the history of South Africa, as that team was mostly composed of black players, unlike the 1995 rugby team, which was almost exclusively composed of white athletes. For this reason, the jersey created by Kappa is still fondly remembered today, not only for its stylistic significance but especially for its historical and cultural value. It is the jersey of the Madiba's Boys, also honored by Le Coq Sportif, the current technical sponsor of South Africa, who has reintroduced this design among the kits created for the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations.