“Bring My Leader Back”: South Africans Want Zakumi, 2010 FIFA World Cup Mascot, To Return

• A local man wondered about the return of Zakumi, the 2010 FIFA World Cup mascot representing South Africa
• Zakumi is a leopard with dreadlocks who was designed and created by Andries Odendaal and David Mbewe, respectively
• The sight of the mascot brought back memories for many South Africans in the post's comment section

A young South African man assumed the return of Zakumi, the 2010 FIFA World Cup mascot, who took the nation by storm during the international tournament. Local social media users reminisced about the yellow and green figure, who brought back fond memories.

On 14 October, 2025, TikTok user Jaco Cyster uploaded a video showing Zakumi in his glory days and humorously wrote:

"Coming out of retirement."

His post comes after Bafana Bafana's qualification when they defeated Rwanda 3-0 on Tuesday, 14 October, 2025.

With the 2026 FIFA World Cup taking place in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, each country has its own mascot for the tournament: Maple the Moose (Canada), Zayu the Jaguar (Mexico) and Clutch the Bald Eagle (the United States).

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The upcoming World Cup is scheduled to take place from 11 June, 2026 to 19 July, 2026.

Who is Zakumi?

Zakumi, the leopard with dreadlocks, was introduced ahead of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. His name is a combination of South Africa's domain name 'ZA' and 'kumi,' which is 10 in many African languages. According to Brand South Africa, Zakumi was designed by Andries Odendaal, and the costume was created by David Mbewe.

The above-mentioned publication notes that FIFA gave the mascot a distinct personality and personal history, born on 16 June, 1994 — significant for all South Africans. While 16 June marks the beginning of the 1976 Soweto youth uprising, 1994 was the year South Africans of all races cast their first vote for a democratic government.

South Africans miss Zakumi

Several local members of the online community gathered in the comment section to share their memories about the mascot, while others reminisced about the time soccer brought the nation together.

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@tshenolosedite told the online community:

"I might just dye my hair green."

@usiphle.8275 shared their hopes in the comment section:

"They had better give him an upgrade."

@justfofo_ confessed under the post:

"Yoh, I used to have a crush on that guy."

@whos_logan01 pointed out to the public:

"The new generation doesn't know about this icon."

@ch3rry.bo_bomb had an idea about promoting Zakumi, writing:

"They must make all the merch I want: t-shirts, plushies, hoodies, sneakers, albums, vinyls, foods, etc."

@its.b._.4 demanded in the comments:

"Bring my leader back."

Watch the TikTok video posted on Jaco's account below:

3 Other stories about the 2026 FIFA World Cup

• In another article, Briefly News reported that a Bafana Bafana fan showed his savings for the tournament, inspiring others to plan on doing the same.
• A local man was in disbelief when he saw the ticket prices costing millions of rands. Other South Africans were just as shocked when they saw the figures.
• Bafana Bafana qualifying for the World Cup had FIFA president Gianni Infantino welcoming their return. The team's last appearance was at the 2010 World Cup.

Source: Briefly News