So much has been written about Nelson Mandela over the last few days. The world is in mourning. I'm not even going to try and compete with some of the best journos in the world who have already written the most beautiful eulogies and captured just how unique this South African man was, except to say that people have said that Madiba was South Africa's number one citizen. I would challenge that and say he was clearly the world's number one citizen.
For us, what is left is to lay this great man to rest in his ancestral home of Qunu, and to give him the send-off that he so rightly deserves. But, more than that, I think it is our duty to honour him in the way that we live. The way South Africa moves on from here is what truly counts. The way South Africans honour what Nelson Mandela stood for is what will keep him alive in us, is what will show that his spirit walks with us, guides us, ensures that not just his legacy lives forever, but that he is ever present in the way we conduct ourselves.
The saying goes that sport and politics do not mix. My belief is that Madiba knew that in the majority of countries all over the world, it was almost always impossible for politics to bring a nation together. The soul of a nation does not live within a room of politicians.
But at a sports stadium, in a country obsessed with a game - a game that is part of their culture - that's where the magic almost always lives. And so in 1995, when Madiba pulled on a Springbok rugby jersey, wore a symbol that for so long was the sporting symbol of the white South Africa that oppressed him, that rejected the notion of black excellence, that gave no hope to black children who wanted to represent their country at the highest level, he showed the world that love was the most powerful weapon in his arsenal.
Mandela didn't just pull on a jersey, he made a massive step towards knitting together the fabric of a nation. That Mandela remains the only black man to pull on a captain's Springbok jersey at a Rugby World Cup shows that there is still some way to go in that sporting code, but change has begun.
For me, soccer remains the only national sport in South Africa that in my opinion reflects Mandela's vision for this great country of ours.
It's what Mandela had in mind for the people of his country. The vision that every man has an equal chance, no matter his colour, to be recognised. Excellence above all is what determines whether you become a coach of Bafana, a captain of Bafana, or a star player for Bafana. The Bafana national team has had white captains, black captains and coloured captains. There has been white coaches, black coaches, foreign coaches and local coaches. It's still not perfect, but it's closer than any other sporting code to getting it right, the Mandela way. And for that reason I feel South African soccer owes it to South Africans and Nelson Mandela to shine.
I stand to be corrected, but it seemed to me Madiba had a soft spot for musicians and sportsmen. I've seen more photos of Madiba with musicians and sports stars than I have of him with heads of states. Obviously these artists in their chosen professions resonated with the great man.
The only national sports team in South Africa that warms up to what looks like a choreographed dance routine is Bafana. Yes, Dean Furman and a few other 'umlungus' look out of their depth at times, but they're still giving it all they've got. When Bafana come out of the change room at a World Cup, they come out singing, they come out dancing in the tunnel - it's the rhythm of a nation. I'm sure it makes Madiba smile.
But there is much that I'm sure he doesn't smile about when it comes to South African soccer. The fact that it's taking forever to get our youth structures sorted out. That players who make it to the top do so usually against all odds, rather than because of a plan, or because of proper structures. The fact that money seems to be a motivating factor for many - not all - but many involved in South African soccer, rather than love. That self-serving practices as opposed to serving the people with a passion for the game - the fans - is often the order of the day.
In his last 'public appearance', 90 000 people filled Soccer City to say goodbye to Madiba. Three more overflow stadiums were also packed to the rafters. That one man can fill four stadiums on a Tuesday and he is no longer even with us, and yet 16 PSL teams cannot get close to that week-in and week-out should be a sign to us all that if you do it properly, if you do it with love, if you do it with passion - the people will come.
Rest in peace, Tata.
We will miss you.
Shapa, Clint
