I have a T-Shirt that boldly proclaims "AFRICA - Not for Sissies". In truth, that is the one thing that separates us Africans from Westerners. Africa is a continent of vast contrasts. Of overwhelming beauty. And extreme harshness. And she is a jealous woman. She will tolerate no other in your life.

It is why the many westerners who came here left again. They failed to embrace her totally.Failed to allow themselves to become part of her heartbeat. You see, being an African is not a spectator sport. If is a way of life.

And being part of Africa changes you. It develops a depth of character that seperates us from the "Sissies".It does not always make us popular but we do get respect. We witnessed this in our last Cricket test against Australia.

The early hours saw one previously unpopular South African; walking down the stairs of the Sydney Cricket Ground, to a standing ovation and bringing even the hardest SA fan close to tears of pride. That's us isn't it? That's you and me, or at least visions of how we'd like to see ourselves, battered and bruised but defiant in the face of improbability.

We may not have an Obama to give us a speech that invokes in us strength to keep believing in the impossible, but we do have every day men and women that rise to the occasion. Everyone, even non sport lovers, sat transfixed that morning as a picture of a man, injured and defying logic, striding down 20 steps said, without uttering a single word, to the rest of the world "try tell me that I can't."

Later in the same day headlines are made by another ex-South African who quits his role as England cricket captain after just 5 months at the helm. The odds were too tough to make it happen in South Africa, the greener grass of foreign pastures too alluring to resist. Without realising it KP, you represent so many others like you. You are not alone, there are many like you who figure the odds are stacked too high to make it happen here in South Africa and look for the easier option.

But you forget one thing; you forget that dealing with adversity in life breeds strength and character. Having the chips stacked against you, only to believe in something enough to defy the odds to come through these things again, and again, and again. that's something another coloured passport can not offer you.

Thank you Graeme Smith, you gave us the Obama moment that reminded us why we love being South African this much. We are in for one tough year in 2009, with no promise of what the end result might be. The rest of the world keeps telling us that we are just another part of the crippled body of Africa with no hope and a one way ticket to failure. We face elections to determine the direction our country will take for the next five years.

We could lay down and die. We could allow the negativity and fear tactics of the DA to overwhelm us. We could look at the ANC and it's illegitimate child, Cope and wonder if it's worth voting at all.

Or we can be South Africans - a place not made for sissies - make sure we are registered - take a decision for real change and a return to the values we believe in - and vote CDA.