Time to give ourselves credit

I wanted to bemoan Bafana Bafana’s beating this past weekend, worst of all to a small fish like Sierra Leone. But I couldn’t! In fact, I found myself calmly and rationally appreciating the reality of our current situation.

Incidentally, the sentiment I’m about to share was echoed by non other than our state president, His Excellency, Thabo Mbeki, in his response to the debate on the Presidency Budget Vote. It must be said at this point that I have never been a fan of our president, as much as I have never subscribed to some of the generally misguided mob activism against his person.

Our biggest challenge as we approach the 2010 World Cup will be the extent to which we manage to overcome our inexperience in competitive global football. It is not that we do not have the skill and talent to match the best in the world. We certainly do. The fact that we were once ranked among the top 20 in the world accounts to our ability to play the game. We just don’t have the necessary experience.

The question we need to ask is whether 14 years could enough to create world-beaters out of any football nation.

In his words, the president mentioned the “false notion of South African exceptionalism” upon which many of us expect our country to “miraculously or by an extraordinary act of God,” overcome the legacies of apartheid and colonization.

It is a pity that in order for anyone to begin to appreciate this reality, they first need to appreciate the extent to which our past continues to haunt us. Sadly, some of us refuse to appreciate the damages our past has created. We cannot however abandon this reality just because certain sections of our community have grown a sensitive skin to any mention of the word: apartheid.

There is of course another tendency to compare the achievements of our soccer and rugby teams. Once again, the historical reality dictates that we should all expect rugby boys to perform better than their soccer counterparts. Resources have long being channeled into the sport to justify this particular expectation.

On the same note, we should not appreciate mediocrity, especially when it is evident that we can do better. My sentiment after watching the weekend game is that Bafana gave their best, but they were seriously short of the experience required under pressure situations.

As we remembered June 16 yesterday, I wished all of us would repent and stop denying our realities. Only then, will we be able to give ourselves credit for the little advancements we have made thus far, and also forge a clearer path on the way forward.

In conclusion, I say VIVA SOUTH AFRICA VIVA!!!

PS: The booing of Tonderai Chavhanga after mistakenly dropping the ball must be condemned together with sentiments informing this kind of behavior! If we can allow Frans Steyn the space to attempt 50 to 60 meter kicks and applaud even when he doesn’t get it right, we can equally afford Chavhanga space to make mistakes and grow.