For years there's been much doubt on the South African football team because they've rarely qualified for tournaments without hosting them.
Shakes Mashaba achieved the feat, a number of junior South African teams and Banyana Banyana succeeded.
Now, it was time for the senior national men's team to join the camp and prove that they're here to stay. After proving themselves, the public has expressed their admiration by turning up in numbers for the players at the airport.
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You can watch videos of Bafana arriving back in South Africa and a Tweet of appreciation from midfielder Dean Furman.