The latest Brand South Africa Global Reputation and Domestic Perception Study leaves me with mixed emotions. Humour aside, it reveals a profound truth about our nation brand: our social cohesion is deeply intertwined with our performance in sport. It is the South Africa where crime has become so commonplace that many have normalised what should never be normal. How do we expect our national brand to flourish when we ourselves so often pull it down through both our actions and our words? Nation branding is not the responsibility of Brand South Africa alone.