By Marlan Padayachee
THE FEMME FATALE of football assimilated by Banyana Banyana shows that our women’s brigade is no pussyfooting pushovers when it comes to the beautiful game. South Africa’s feisty footballing outfit also shattered the myth about the women’s league as a Cinderella sport when our all-girls outfit was crowned queens of soccer’s supreme continental championship after slaying Morocco’s bevy of beauties in boots.
‘’My coach said I run like a girl, and I said if he ran a little faster he could too.’’ – Mia Hamm, American FIFA and Olympics gold-star winning footballer.
OVER THE next coming weeks, I am dedicating this column to high-achieving women, and as well as ordinary women and the girl-child syndrome, to celebrate the resilience and resourcefulness of our women during the month-long National Women’s Day focus – but framed on the Good, the Bad and the Ugly legend: while saluting extraordinary women, I won’t be cowering by letting women, who have brought our darling of democracy into disrepute and disgrace, off the big hook.
A great kick-off will be our new and inspiring national pride, Banyana Banyana, following their sensational performances during the maiden Women’s African Cup of Nation championships.
From the first kick of the ball to the winning goal during at the oversubscribed soccer spectacle cup final – 10 000 extra fervent fans were robbed of viewing the showpiece live from the grandstands of the stadium in Rabat – Morocco’s culturally-enriching and socially-friendly capital that I enjoyed on an election assignment in 1998 – Banyana Banyana emerged the newly-crowned el-supremo of soccer.
For too long since SA’s FIFA 2010 World Cup, the unheralded heroines collected only silverware until a silver bullet off the boots of the strike-force and the team work of co-captain and new tournament title-holder for goalkeeping, Andile Dlamini, defender Bambanani Mbane, captain Refiloe Jane and strike Jermaine Seopisenwe powered the SASOL-fueled national pride to a heroic victory march – six WAFCON duels later.
Soccer aside, the traditional warm-hearted hospitality and staple diet of couscous (kous-kous) meals, fresh Mediterranean culture, ambience and social cohesion must have inspired a never-say-die coach Desiree Ellis and her rainbow warrior’s quest to finally hit the jackpot, eclipsing Morocco 2-1 on Arab soil, after having doggedly pushed ahead from one qualifying round to qualifying round.
The battle-hardened Banyana Banyana was welcomed home by thousands of excited, but economically hard-pressed compatriots at the OR Tambo International Airport.
Banyana Banyana revelled in this magical moment of sheer glory, really a far-cry from the beer-swiveling and highly-paid Bafana Bafana that failed to make the cut for the FIFA 2022 World Cup in Qatar in December.
So as a dancing democracy, an under-siege President Cyril Ramaphosa and his ministerial comrades got into the act and gave football’s femme fatale a right royal welcome at the Union Buildings in Pretoria – often the playground for a protesting population fighting for the rights of the indigenous Khoisan tribes; against shoddy and poor service delivery; and all sorts of demonstration – again an haunting flashback to 9th August 1956 dateline and destination when 20 000 women took on the might of the Afrikaner political oligarchy and voiced a collective disgust at the pass laws for black people – right on the doorstep in the heartland of the citadel of apartheid.
Today’s National Women’s Day is a positive spin-off of the epoch-making milestone by the brave women of all race groups – black, white, Indian and coloured – again a far cry from the 1990s ANC post-apartheid election promises of a ‘’non-racial’’ new South Africa now tilting towards blacks-only.
But, at least Banyana Banyana showed Africa and the footballing world that our team was viewed in black-and-white, and however, fell short of any Indian and coloured composition enjoyed by national women’s cricket, karate, swimming, rugby and other sports that were once banished by the world during the days of sports and economic sanctions against apartheid.
In the run-for-home victory, Banyana Banyana may have scored an own goal to showcase a fully multi-racial squad, but the winning streak also delivered a series of knockout body blows for a patriarchal, male-dominated society, a plethora of social ills and woes and pay gaps.
So, when Banyana Banyana lifted the coveted cup and individual awards, it must be hailed as a victory in soccer against a catalogue of social ills and woes facing the new nation.
Now comes the acid-test. Will Danny Jordan’s SA Football Association dole out the millions of rands from its own coffers to reward the champions. Or will it double-dip into AFCON’s R8-million-plus bonus to compensate football’s foot-soldiers? Will the championship close the chasm of the pay parity that the successful American women counterparts achieved in the USA?
It is time to level the playing fields for women in professional soccer, create more open spaces for kick-a-bouts, secure sponsorships and promote the amateur ranks to achieve the country’s full colours and stripes on the pitches and administrative offices.
Footnote: How about a friendly-fire challenge clash between Bafana Bafana and Banyana Banyana? I expertly suggest, as a Level One coach at Westville Old Boys – don’t even go there.
Last Words: Always remember: Life is like a game of soccer. You need goals. If there are no goals in your life then you cannot win.
- • MARLAN PADAYACHEE is a seasoned journalist and former mainstream political and diplomatic correspondent, serves on Gopio International’s media council, ambassador at City University of London, member of media-communications bodies, SAFREA, SANEF, IAJ, IFJ, heads MapMedia GreenGold Consulting (Pty) Limited, recipient of prestige international scholarship and fellowship, media awards; and works as a freelance journalist, photographer, wordsmith, publishing author, communications research specialist and media strategist; and continues to write columns, articles and opinion-editorial commentary for newspapers, magazines, TV and radio, online digital and social media platforms – without fear or favour nor prejudice; and may be contacted via: marlan.padayachee@gmail.com/WhatsApp 076 038 4265
