Bafana bring smile to citizens' face amid doom and gloom, data shows

SOUTH Africans’ happiness levels rose since Bafana Bafana qualified for the 2026 Fifa World Cup in North America by beating Rwanda at Mbombela Stadium on Tuesday night, statistics show.  

According to real-time data from the Centre for Wellbeing, AI and Social Impact (C.WAIS) at the University of Johannesburg (UJ), South Africa’s national happiness index spiked after the win compared to the usual midweek average.

“Our real-time happiness data for South Africa revealed a significant spike in happiness scores after the victory on 14 October, with happiness scores increasing to 7.12, compared to the average Wednesday score of 6.9,” said Professor Talita Greyling, director of C.WAIS.

Bafana Bafana beat Rwanda 3–0 in their final qualifier in Nelspruit to finish top of Group C and automatically secure their spot at the global showpiece for the first time since 2002. They previously qualified as hosts in 2010.

Bafana’s milestone underlined how much sport continues to bring hope during difficult times — something especially relevant given that this win brought joy during a period of national uncertainty, where high-profile figures responsible for the country’s security are currently under investigation for wrongdoing.

Should Bafana continue to perform well at the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco later this year, and eventually at the global showpiece in June, C.WAIS could see further spikes in the country’s happiness.

The C.WAIS research platform, the Gross Happiness Project, uses AI and big data to track national happiness in real time. The findings underscore how powerful shared moments in sport can be in uniting and uplifting the nation.

Cape Times