Bafana Bafana head coach Shakes Mashaba has done the nation no favours by hauling out the hoary old spectre of racism.
|||Pressure is synonymous with sport played at the highest level, for players and coaches. So, when afforded the opportunity to play or coach at a national level, expect the heat to be on. It’s never easy – but the pressure’s part of the price to be paid for national selection. Some thrive on it, others buckle under the intense exposure and constant criticism.
And this is why Bafana Bafana head coach Shakes Mashaba has done the nation no favours by hauling out the hoary old spectre of racism after the SA national football side crashed out of the Cosafa Cup last week. In an interview afterwards, Mashaba is quoted as saying: “I understand — it goes with agendas. I want to repeat today, we had a World Cup-winning coach (Carlos Alberto Parreira). We went the same route. I’ve never heard the question, ‘Is he the right coach or not?' He came and he went. I’m going to be rude — I think my colour is a problem here. That’s what I’m going to say.”
Contained within that statement is so much of what is wrong with this country. It’s that victim mentality we refuse to shake. We are never to blame. It’s never our fault. And we certainly never take responsibility for our actions. Accusing fingers are always pointed elsewhere…
It was Steve Biko, the legendary anti-apartheid activist and founder of the Black Consciousness Movement, who, in his seminal book ‘I write what I like’, said: “Freedom is the ability to define oneself with one’s possibilities held back not by the power of other people. The most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed. If one is free at heart, no man-made chains can bind one to servitude.”
There’s some valuable advice for Mashaba in those powerful words, especially as he occupies a place of national importance. He is a black role model to millions of youngsters rapidly – now 21 years after the first democratic election – emerging from the shadow of oppression. They have the world at their feet. Opportunities are limitless. And, yet, Mashaba insists on feeding young people desperate for direction and leadership a diet of victimhood and lack of responsibility. His mind, as Biko would say, is still oppressed. We expect more of people in positions of power and influence.
Say what you like about Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane. He’s always portrayed as a little arrogant… But that’s just the point. Mosimane’s comfortable in his skin. He’s confident with how he goes about his work. He doesn’t have to find excuses for failure. He’s a proud, independent black role model… Someone Biko had in mind when he wrote: “Blacks are tired of standing at the touchlines to witness a game they should be playing. They want to do things for themselves and all by themselves.”
Yes, South Africa still labours under the yoke of a system of institutional racism that painfully eroded the pride and dignity of the majority of its population. Yes, the immense inequality of it all still festers and its dangerous tentacles still permeate much of everyday life in this new, improved South Africa we are desperately trying to build.
But, if we are to create black identities of confidence, pride, responsibility and financial strength, we cannot do so with attitudes like Mashaba’s. We need to send a message that to be strong and successful, you cannot be a victim of your environment, or your past. We are all bigger than that… We have to find strength within ourselves to change whatever circumstances we find ourselves in.
If not, we will be victims for the rest of our lives. And, the more we remain victims, the more apartheid wins. - Cape Times
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