A PLEA TO BAFANA

A Plea To Bafana: A Country of Hope and Dreamds: MZANIS FO SHO!

On Saturday, 8 June 2013, while watching the Bafana game I posted a tweet, likening South Africa football fans people who would not just leave abusive relationship.

My point of view had come from a realization that 90% of South African women have experienced emotional and physical abuse at the hands of their partners. My point of view had further been enforced by the realisation that a number of these women remain with their abusers. Many of them believing that it was their fault, or that the abusers loved them, would eventually change and stop the abuse.

One might wonder what all that has to do with football. A lot I would say. This is especially so considering the amount of emotion and finances many invest in pursuing their love for the 'beautiful game'.

At the time that I shared my sentiments with the earlier mentioned tweet, I had just had came to my attention that Ethiopia were leading Botswana by 2-0 (same group as Bafana-World Cup Qualifiers). It was at that time that it hit me that there was a real, if not imminent possibility that we might not be in Brazil come June 2014.

It could have been a moment of panic from a desperate fan who has not watched his country in a World Cup since 2002.  I guess my panic could to an extent be justified. One could forgive me as at the time when I posted the tweet I had in mind the Bafana of Stuart Baxter, who failed to qualify for Germany 2006. I was for a moment taken aback to 2004 where for the first time we could not get past the group stages; came 2006 where it got worse as our Bafana could not even master a single goal, to be bundled out in the group stages again. Then then was the Angola 2010 where once again we could not even make it past the group stages. So many times Bafana has failed to deliver when it mattered the most. The grunt, however, has been felt the most by the fan on the street, the soccer loving public.

Despite all the instances of heartache caused by the failures of Bafana patriots (like myself) have never stopped believing that Bafana will come good.

It is remarkable that a soccer loving nation such as South Africa with all the footbaling luxuries continuously fails like it has. It is almost inconceivable that a country with resources and facilities as South Africa cannot put up a genuine fight when pitted against nations with a fraction of the budget allocated and resources at their disposal.

Each time after all the listed disappointments and failures conversations on trains and buses, soccer lovers would disown Bafana. Sport radio shows would be filled with callers telling the nation on how they had given up on the ‘Boys’ and how useless they were. However, that would not last for long as whenever Bafana was playing next many of those who had almost forsaken the national team would again rally behind the national team in their makarapa and blowing their vuvuzela.

It cannot be argued that South African are forgiving in nature. This was very much evident in the first competitive match Bafana played in 2004 after the AFCON disappointment where 30 000 fans packed the Free State Stadium.  We saw how forgiving and loving our supporters when they packed every Bafana game in the recent AFCON. Many secretly knew that Bafana did not have in them to clinch the title or even go as far as the final. Regardless something inside of them believed and hoped that things will change.

Like many other times, we were battered, beaten and left with pain and scars. Like many other times we made excuses for the boys’ failure and consoled ourselves that next time it will be better. Back to the drawing board. Time and time again our Bafana have let the nation down and have been the cause of so many heartaches. Nonetheless we keep going back supporting them and believing that the next time it shall be better.

I would think that enough is enough. As we approach the game with Ethiopia this coming Saturday, I would hope that the Bafana realise that enough is enough, thus the time to deliver is now!

I have realised that my analogy of our sport loving fans to abused women, just maybe a bit too far-fetched. What I have also realised is that I am in South Africa, not just any other country. I realised that people of this country are wired unlike any other in the world. South Africa is a country of hope and dreams; a country that has overcome the worst adversity and became what it is today. A country that in years gone by believed and hoped that tomorrow shall be better, a country that keeps believing.

I therefore believe and hope that come Saturday night, the street of Soweto, uMlazi, Khayelitsha and throughout the country will be filled with joy, in celebrating Bafana’s victory over Ethiopia.