Carlos Kambaekwa
Nobody, but nobody reserves the right to dictate to anybody on the choice of association or freedom of movement for that matter – let alone when our conviction is masterminded by the evils of yesteryear.
As kaalvoet laaities, it was common practice to support any other nation that dared to defy the international ban by playing against the Springboks during the Apartheid era, and not even the presence of our own lad, the legendary Jan Ellis from the Cattle Country in the then lily-white Springbok team would switch our allegiance from the visiting teams.
In those days, we had no access to Television and our only source of information was through the voice of Rugby guru Gerhard Roux on Radio which has been the most essential vehicle of information for most darkies up to this day.
I must confess almost every darkie boy would shout their lungs out for the All Blacks as New Zealand is fondly known amongst the oval ball’s folklore, and while the name appealed to most of us, my liking for the All Blacks was mainly influenced by the presence of a very handsome Maori dude, going by the name of Brian Williams.
Williams unintentionally instilled some sense of confidence and self-respect amongst many black households and made them realize that Laanies were after all not as superior as they made us to believe.
Since then, things have changed dramatically, and Namibia has managed to wangle herself out of the claws of the South African Apartheid regime, with the subsequent arrival of Nelson Mandela who was tasked to transform the rainbow nation into a formidable unit after displacing F.W. de Klerk from his office in the Union Building in Tswane.
Namibian rugby fans, notably darkies, need to come out of their racial closet and confront the consequences of blind loyalty – or rather reverse racism.
The very same people that are embracing South Africa for having brought the World’s biggest showpiece, the FIFA Football World Cup finals to the African continent in 2010, are still driven by racial denial.
It’s not strange these days to walk into a pub and find a whole lot of guzzlers from the kassie throwing their weight behind whichever team playing against the Springboks, ag sies tog!.
A victorious South African team means victory for the entire African continent, and we should rally behind the Bokke when they run out against England in the final match of the 6-week long Rugby World Cup finals at the Stade de France Stadium in Saint Dennis tomorrow evening.
Should South Africa win the coveted Webb Ellis Trophy for the second time in 12 years, which I strongly believe they can, then Namibian Rugby stands to benefit greatly as the World’s leading rugby playing nations would be lining up to compete against the World Champions.
Namibia, as South Africa’s neighbours and being the second best rugby playing nation on the continent, could benefit immensely from such tours, and yours truly would like to urge rugby authorities to start putting their ducks in the row and work hand in hand with the South African Rugby Union to ensure that Namibia is not left behind.
When the Nigerian football team beat Argentina in the final of the Atlanta Olympics Men’s Under-23 football discipline in 1996, the whole African continent came to a virtual standstill as we celebrated an African victory, while the rest of the World took note of the emergence of African footballers.
Nigeria’s victory paved the way for more African footballers to invade the wealthy European leagues, with Namibia amongst the beneficiaries following the successful export of Razzie Tjikuzu, Collin Benjamin and Eliphas Shivute, amongst others.