JOHANNESBURG - In honour of the Samba Boys' hard-won victory over the Democratic People's Republic of Korea last Tuesday night, which I for one found enthralling viewing, I made a return to pages 97-98 of a book called More Than Just a Game: Soccer v Apartheid by Chuck Korr and Marvin Close.
It's a fun book - all about those prisoners who played football on Robben Island and set up the famous Makana Football Association. Some of them have since become leading citizens including, inter alia, Jacob Zuma, Tokyo Sexwale, and Dikgang Moseneke.
Why it was written by a couple of Americans, one an academic historian, the other a writer, I do not rightly know. Seems to me it would have been a great project for a local scribe - but so it goes. It was published in 2008 by Collins and there was a local edition, marketed by Jonathan Ball Publishers, Collins' agents, which I saw on the shelves last year, or maybe it was during 2008.
But back to page 97:
"A gentle breeze blew off the Atlantic and across the island as Lizo Sitoto walked out into the brilliant sunshine, his soccer studs clattering across the concrete floor of the compound. (T)eammate Tony Suze was alongside him ... (and they) exchanged firm, confident handshakes and wished one another good luck for the game ahead. The date was August 1, 1970 and the match was an early fixture in the league's second season. Although Manong was still the leading team, today it was playing against Rangers, and Lizo knew enough to expect a bruising encounter.
"The Rangers captain was a tough, no- nonsense ANC activist called Jacob Zuma, known to be as uncompromising on the soccer pitch as he was in the political arena. The son of a policeman who died when he was just a child, Zuma had become involved in politics at an early age, joining the ANC as a 17-year-old in 1959.
"Experience told Lizo he would have to be on his guard because Zuma would, as ever, be putting himself about in the penalty area, at corners and set pieces. Zuma was a tough soccer player who played as a defender mainly at right back and centre half ..."
There we have it: Zuma as soccer player. Interesting that Zuma was perceived then as a tough and no-nonsense player. This is not the way he is perceived these days - not, at least, by and in the media. Leading commentators and analysts seem to think Zuma is too inclined at the moment to compromise and to be gentle, especially with those whom he considers to be on his side. Maybe years in politics, especially in ANC exile politics, taught Zuma the virtue of being perceived to be gentle and smiley.
But what really reminded me of this book, besides the tenacity of the Samba Boys, was the complaint made by Tim Harris of the Democratic Alliance about various government departments spending (at least) R10.9m - out of their budgets - to buy World Cup tickets for department staff members.
According to Harris: "Replies to DA parliamentary questions have revealed that to date, the departments of Science and Technology, Trade and Industry, Tourism, Public Service and Administration, and Communications have spent a total of R10.9 million on tickets."
By doing so, Harris goes on to say, "the departments have breached the Public Finance Management Act as well as the Code of Conduct for Public Servants. They have also demonstrated disregard for the authority of the Minister of Finance, and the interests of ordinary South Africans, many of whom are not able to afford tickets, or have had their requests for tickets turned down. The unauthorised expenditure by these departments cannot go unchallenged and Minister Gordhan needs to explain precisely what action he will be taking."
As far as I know, neither Gordhan nor the cabinet has indicated what they actually plan to do about the matter, though I think I heard a government spokesperson making some mealy-mouthed statement the other day to the effect the matter would be dealt with after the World Cup.
What I was thinking was that, given that it is clear that one of our president's earliest and strongest passions was football, I would not hold my breath on this issue.
This column first appeared in The Daily Dispatch and on www.witsvuvuzela2010.co.za, the football world cup site run by Wits journalism. Jeremy Gordin is director of the Justice Project, Wits Journalism. The second edition of his biography of Jacob Zuma (see below) is now on sale.
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