A German officer in the World War of the 1940’s had quite a few opinions of the men they fought against. He said, inter alia, that the British were amateurs, the Australians rowdy and got out of hand very easily (even up to this today), the South Africans were good but a bit raw and the New Zealanders he said, were the finest lot as fighting men.
Well! I have news for the officer. He obviously never met a Namibian fighter in the shape of Jacob Marengo, Hendrik Witbooi – and in more recent times some of our Cabinet and retired ministers, who rank as the finest warriors.
The reason I mention this is that we’re about to open our assault on the coveted IRB Rugby World Cup with New Zealand being our first hurdle. This has even prompted our Head of State, Dr Hage Geingob, to entertain a dream of a victory over the All Blacks! C’mon, we’re all allowed to dream but – believe me – the All Blacks will know they were in a battle, at least after the opening 65 minutes.
It has been witnessed that even after world wars sworn enemies would sign peace treaties. In our own case, we have the policy of reconciliation, which seems to be working, but as our previous presidents have uttered, some groups take it for granted, while some even see tacit behaviour as weakness or even dumbness, taking the opportunity to propagate their own agendas.
For the life of me, yours truly cannot understand why those in positions of leadership do not want to face the reality of transformation head-on. Taking the figures of the top three sports in South Africa, namely football, rugby and cricket, one is astonished at the similarities between the two sister countries. Not for one moment discounting the fact that Namibia was a fifth province of the Rainbow Nation, some legacies of the apartheid regime still linger on, with many skewed laws still on our statute books.
The most worrisome legacies are those of personal or individual perceptions, prejudices and entitlement. This is found in the case of both black and white countrymen, myself included.
Articles written by Max du Preez, Frans Cronje and Jacob Rooi in the Rapport a while ago, present a microcosm of the situation in our own country and backyard. Like the old Springbok radio story of the 1970’s: “Squad Cars”. Only names and places have been changed. I will translate a few observations from the Afrikaans to English and hope to do justice to their messages.
Dear readers it’s up to you to disagree.
FRANS CRONJE WRITES
“The idea has become abhorrent and is being misused for hate-driven anti-white nationalism… The word transformation is been bandied the same way the word “apartheid” is being used to symbolise the wrongs of white on black… do we take every opportunity to give someone else a chance?… There are many more white business people, academics, journalists and activists doing more for transformation than their black counterparts.”
MAX DU PREEZ WRITES
“We feel uncomfortable when we see the All Blacks having more blacks in their line-up than the Boks… Remember that rugby was more than just a sport for more than 50 years. It was part of the Afrikaner identity and culture. We have suffered through Black Economic Empowerment, lost political power and government and we are about to lose the Springbok as well!… Most see the Springbok as a symbol of oppression and reactions by people, like Kallie Kriel of Afri Forum, who are against transformation, is seen as protecting whites’ benefits… Rugby organisations have caused thousands of black and coloured players to fall through the cracks, between school, club and provincial rugby, thus lost to rugby forever.”
JACOB ROOI WRITES
“A supporter phoned a local radio station complaining that he accompanied three friends from Namibia to a test match between the All Blacks and Springboks and had to bear the brunt of verbal racial attacks in the stands and in the toilets.”
Yours truly is just saddened by these incidents, perceptions and attitudes. This is what is happening in our sport in Namibia too and in our society as whole and the only solution is “let’s talk!”
My Rugby World Cup predictions:
Namibia vs New Zealand – Namibia lose by 30 points.
Namiba vs Tonga – Namibia wins by 5 points.
Namibia vs Georgia – Namibia wins by 10 points.
Namibia vs Argentina- Namibia lose by 10 points.
Well, these are my genuine predictions. I know and understand the Namibian team carries the hopes and aspirations of many in this country. We might not always all agree on the selected group, but at least we can support the team. Go well Welwitchias and once again fly our flag with honour!
Adios!