In South Africa, this beautiful, diverse and tragic land, they are preparing to make history at the expense of Australia, their greatest sporting foes.
The country's cricket team, which had just become the best in the world by thrashing Australia 4-0 in 1969-70 when they were exiled from the game for two decades, are about to plant a flag on the summit again. And they will do so by beating Australia over the next four weeks.
At least, that is what their sociable people will tell you over a crackling braai and a chilled Castle and it is difficult to argue with folk with destiny, as well as smoke, in their eyes.
Not only destiny but recent history too, for South Africa beat Australia in December and January and another series victory here would mean they topple the baggy green caps who have dominated the world game for 15 years.
It wasn't quite braai weather at the Wanderers ground as the rival captains, Graeme Smith and Ricky Ponting, sheltered from the rain as they posed for pictures with the International Cricket Council mace, the gold and silver plated trophy that is held by the best cricket team in the world.
The man from the ICC had constantly to wipe the wet from the £30,000 mace, which is based on a cricket stump topped by an orb representing the cricket globe and was created in May 2001. Since then it has resided in Australia apart from a five-month period (January-May 2003) when it went to South Africa. Now the South Africans are planning to secure long-term ownership.
To comprehend South Africa's cricket totally it is necessary to understand something about this most complicated of countries, whose history has made much of the people solipsistic, neurotic and politically self-obsessed; a typical remark from your host here might go: "But that's enough of me talking about South Africa. Tell me, what do you think of my country?"
Nineteen years after the release of Nelson Mandela the changes that have taken place here have been profound. Yet apartheid was such a great evil that traces of its stench still catch the nostrils. Even in the rainbow nation the still desperately poor townships are tucked away, out of sight of the tall buildings that dominate the centre of "Jozi", this vibrant, ballsy, greedy and sometimes very violent city, where the first Test will start on Thursday.
In recent years the cricket team have reflected the tensions and unease that have beset the country – the quota system, which forced teams to field black players who were not good enough, the Hansie Cronje scandal, the desperation to triumph after readmission, which was reflected in the World Cup fiascos of 1999 and 2003. Talk of schisms in the England team look daft when you consider what the South Africa teams have been through in the past 20 years.
In that time they have often been almost as good as Australia, but their cricket was regularly dour and joyless and lacked flair. That can hardly be said about a team that includes Dale Steyn, whose batting is so strong that even a player as good as Ashwell Prince, who averaged 64 in Tests last year, cannot find a place.
Hashim Amla, from Natal, is the first South African of Indian descent to play for the Test side. Lower down in the batting order is the Afrikaans AB de Villiers, who is preparing for his 50th consecutive Test, and below him the exquisitely talented Jean-Paul Duminy, a precious gift from the Cape.
Amla, Duminy and Makhaya Ntini don't play for South Africa because they are black but because they are exceptional cricketers. Indeed. Amla or Duminy could captain South Africa one day.
South African cricket awaits its Barack Obama moment with keen anticipation, even though Prince did lead as a stand-in for the injured Smith in 2006.
If the great 1970 side represented white South Africa, this one plays for all the nation's many hues. But from a cricket point of view the really important feature of this team is that they seem at peace with the world and themselves.
Mickey Arthur is rather like Peter Moores, in that he is first and foremost a facilitator rather than a coach. The crucial difference is that Arthur works closely with his captain Smith, who leads the side by heroic example.
On Thursday South Africa are likely to play the same XI that won in Perth and Melbourne before going down in Sydney. The attack will again be led by Steyn, who swings the ball away late and at good pace. Last year he took 74 wickets in 13 Tests at just 20.01.
In contrast Australia, whose Ashes series in England starts in a little over four months, look a little thin and unready. Apart from the famous retirements (including those of Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Matthew Hayden, Justin Langer and Adam Gilchrist) there have been injuries to Brett Lee, Stuart Clarke and Phil Jaques. Lee and Clark are expected to be fit in time for England but Lee is 32 and his return must be in doubt.
There has been a comic element to Australia's preparation for this keenly anticipated series. Bryce McGain, their bright young leg-spinning hope – he will be 37 next month – missed the team flight from Australia and had to make the trip via Hong Kong.
When he played in the warm-up game in Potchefstroom at the weekend he was thumped to oblivion while part-time off-spinner Marcus North, who is expected to make his Test debut in the top six along with Phil Hughes, took a career-best six for 69. Finally, McGain was unable to take the field because of food poisoning. In fact the Aussies were so depleted by tummy troubles that one of their backroom staff had to take the field.
Of the 14-strong Australian party four (Hughes, North, McGain and Ben Hilfenhaus) have not played in a Test and another four (Peter Siddle, Nathan Hauritz, Andrew McDonald and Doug Bollinger) have only 10 Test caps between them. That is why the South Africans start as favourites this week. But there shouldn't be too much gloating over Australia's misfortunes from England. All things considered.
