While the Springboks play their hearts out on the field, a group of diehard fans pack the stadium and sing their hearts out in support.

These lively fans are the Gwijo Squad, a collection of Springbok groupies of all shades, shapes, and singing voices, who travel from match to match to harmonise and ignite the on-field action.

They spur the team on with amaGwijo, traditional isiXhosa call-and-response songs.

Fans in different rugby countries have a repertoire of “fanthems” they belt out during matches.

When the Welsh squad plays England, the ditty As long as we beat the English rings out from the stands.

English fans sing the American Gospel classic, Swing Low, Sweet Chariot. But the Gwijo Squad is in a league of its own.

amaGwijo are isiXhosa anthems sung in times of struggle, and in times of celebration.

“They’re songs, chants and war cries, yes, but they are much more than that. There’s a spirituality to them,” explains Gwijo Squad co-founder Mzwandile Riba, who adds that Gwijo has brought people together in solidarity for generations.

“The songs are about a broad range of topics, like love and battle, but what they all have in common is that they connect people.”

Gwijo moved from traditional ceremonies to sports stadiums in 2017, when passionate Bok fans Chulumanco Macingwane and his wife Nande went to a South African A rugby match against the French Barbarians at Durban’s Moses Mabhida stadium.

They were dismayed at the lack of support, so they rustled up 50 friends for the next encounter at Orlando Stadium in Soweto.

“We spent the match singing and dancing. We’re South Africans, music is part of our fibre,” says Nande. And that’s how the Gwijo Squad was born.

It gathered momentum and transformed from a casual group into a movement. And now the thousand-strong Gwijo Squad has become an institution.

There’s an endless supply of songs in the Squad’s arsenal and members sing spontaneously when the spirit moves them.

“Anyone at any point can start singing,” explains Mzwandile. “And when you start, the one thing you’re guaranteed is the support of the Squad. Someone starts and we’re all in it.”

Bok fans are drawn to the songs like Makazole Mapimpi is drawn to the tryline.

“People see us having fun,” says Nande. “Even if they don’t know the words, they join in. They love our energy. We have dance moves and actions and we clap and jump around. Our melodies evoke emotions.”

Fans are bored of olé, olé, olé, says Nande, and shosholoza is so tired, it should be retired.

“iGwijo is an authentic and fresh South African flavour. When many people sing iGwijo in unison in the stadium it’s such a powerful feeling. Wow, I mean, it’s difficult to explain. Just wow! It does something to you. It’s a vibe.”

And it’s not restricted to Boks and their fans. The other team’s fans join in too, says Mzwandile, because Gwijo isn’t about rattling the opposition.

“We don’t sing against them, we sing in support of us,” says Nande. “Our songs aren’t aggressive, they’re songs of encouragement. They’re jovial.”

There’s a lot of camaraderie with opposition fans, because there’s nothing antagonistic about what the squad is doing.

“We just want to create a vibe,” says Nande. “A positive vibe, a vibe of belonging.”

Even opposition players appreciate Gwijo, and former All Blacks captain Ardie Savea is a fan.

However, if the squad had a patron, it’s Siya Kolisi.

In 2018 he became the first black player to be appointed Springbok skipper. When he ran onto the field against England at Ellis Park as the new captain, the Gwijo Squad welcomed him with open lungs.

The love is mutual. After the dramatic match, which the Boks won 42-39, the new skipper, who never misses a chance to sing, made a beeline for the squad to celebrate with them.

“That’s when we knew South African rugby would never be the same,” says Nande.

“It’s sentimental for Siya. It reminds him of playing rugby on the dusty fields in the Eastern Cape. It reminds him of his childhood, and his journey to Springbok captain.”

Nande says one of the Squad’s missions is to make test rugby accessible to ordinary people, and they help with tickets for matches and transport.

“It’s expensive to go watch rugby and we want to help as many people as possible to watch and support the Boks.”

Five years after the squad was formed, Gwijo gees has found its way into the hearts of South African rugby lovers across the country, revving up players and firing up fans, promoting inclusivity and unity and bridging cultural barriers.

Next time you attend a match, be sure to sing along!