PROUD TO BE MR MASHABA'S MONKEY: Why BafanaBafana need more guerrillas, less yes men

MONKEY BUSINESS: BafanaBafana coach Shakes Mashaba

TODAY I am a monkey. A footballing guerrilla. One who sits on the back of our national coach, awaiting eviction. This is my tail.

As South Africa basks in the glory of a come-from-behind 3-1 win over Angola, Ephraim "Shakes" Mashaba did the talking for himself this weekend rather than relying on a series of questions from his son, as he did during a run of eight competitive defeats in charge of BafanaBafana.

To recap: There was the epic 2-2 draw in Nigeria, followed by three failures at AFCON 2015, then COSAFA penalty shoot-out defeats on home soil against Botswana and Malawi, followed by 0-0 against Gambia and 1-3 in Mauritania to kick-off AFCON 2017 qualifying. Tough times, by any standards.

There’s almost no point in mentioning CHAN, the competition for home-based players, where we crashed out to Angola last month, despite an away win in the second leg.

Clearly though, nothing is going to change. Selection will be eccentric, team talks will be confusing, flights to and from Bafana games will continue to be chaotic with barely an independent journalist making the trip to tell us what's really going on.

With SAFA president Danny Jordaan ruling Port Elizabeth and Technical Director Neil Tovey limiting his involvement to critical television performances, I decided to change tack.

I spent last week in #shakysupport mode (though I could never quite get it trending on twitter) despite the inexplicable absence of Kermit Erasmus and Keagan Dolly on the trip to Benguela and the inclusion of four injured players.

I stuck to #shakysupport even when Brilliant Khuzwayo refused to replace Itumeleng Khune in the squad (the Sunday Sun suggests he was partying in Umlazi rather than attending to family matters, but that’s another story) and wished Wayne Sandilands well when he was called up as the third goalkeeper.

When Jackson Mabokgwane of Mpumalanga Black Aces was named as captain, again, a public pat on the back. When Andile Jali got sent off after scoring from the penalty spot, there was no need to slam the man. Job done. The Moses Mabhida Stadium on Tuesday night should be one long celebration, Angola need a 3-0 win and they’re NOT going to get it.

No need for monkey business. So here’s what Ephraim Mashaba said when Bafana returned (on the same flight, remarkably) from Angola to the Maharani Hotel in Durban on Sunday: “I want those monkeys to sit on my back and I don't want them to jump off, please.

“The weight that they’re putting on me, it keeps me on my toes, because I'm also saying 'I've got to feed them, these monkeys' and how do I feed them? I deliver, that's all. Feed them by delivering.”

And of course, he’s right. No national coach deserves to escape criticism. Early on in his reign, the Sunday Times Sports Editor Dr BBK Shortarse claimed Mashaba was under scrutiny because of his “levels of melanin”. He has since been nominated for journalist of the year.

Mashaba did the same, claiming he is discriminated against because of his skin colour. Utter bunkum of course. Gordon Igesund has low melanin levels but got so tired of this monkey he tried to sue.

Truth is, like Gord and Pitso before him, Shaky DOES need monkeys on his back. His ability as a coach is completely unproven at any level, his tactical acumen is a little old-fashioned. His substitutions are eccentric, his eagerness to rotate captains and goalkeepers is legend. Clearly Tovey’s appointment, months later than Jordaan promised, has had no impact.

But hey, we beat Angola, and we’ll probably beat them again on Tuesday night. But hold on, Mr Mashaba, the monkeys won’t be going anywhere. Next up? The group stages of the 2018 World Cup. And because we have the disadvantage of being a CAF nation, only the winners go through from the five groups of four. At least, unlike 2014, there will be no play-off against a seeded group winner to follow.

The road to Russia 2018 is a long one, a cold one... especially for Africa, where only FIVE out of 54 nations can qualify.

So too is the road to AFCON 2017 in Gabon, where one point from two games leaves Bafana needing to beat Cameroon TWICE to stand any chance of topping the group.

Braver primates will continue to plague Mashaba, even after this fantastic win in Angola. The yes men, and there are plenty of them, will say he’s evolved beyond gorilla warfare.

Me? I’ll just carry on pointing out the rights and wrongs, with a minimum of gibberish. That’s the job. Right on the monkey.

The TRUTH: Ajax Cape Town coach ROGER DE SA on Cecil Lolo's funeral: the grief, the pain, the LIES

ROGER THAT: De Sa's tweet on the day of Cecil Lolo's tragic death

ROGER DE SA left home for Cecil Lolo’s funeral at 6am in the morning. He returned home at midnight on Sunday exhausted and depressed. Now he is angry. Fuming.

Cecil Sonwabile Lolo was the “True Warrior” in De Sa’s Urban Warriors, a man who emerged from nowhere, with nothing, to become a professional footballer. His death at the age of 27 in a car accident two weeks ago left Ajax Cape Town, part of one of the world’s largest footballing franchises, shattered.

This morning, when De Sa took the side for their first training session since last Friday, Lolo’s seat in the dressing room was left empty and covered in flowers. De Sa says: “That’s how the players felt about Cecil. He was popular, he was respected by all.”

Which is why De Sa is eager to end the witch-hunt orchestrated by Robert Marawa and ANC MEC for Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture Pemmy Majodina after the funeral. De Sa rubbishes claims the players were banned from attending, he points out that Majodina was nearly as late for the funeral as he was and asks WHY DIDN’T ROBERT MARAWA ATTEND?

I’ll leave Roger to tell his story:

“Neal, all this “we didn’t care about Lolo” is pure bullshit. Let me start at the beginning. The day he died. Devastating. We did’t know what to do.

“We sit with the family. Three little kids from two moms who live with his mother. The player has no insurance, nothing whatsoever. No funeral plan. NOTHING. So our chairman Ari Efstathiou says we’ll provide an educational trust for kids, least we can do.

“Then let’s look after the family. His mother and other people he looked after. About eight of them. We have to look after them too. Help them recover from Cecil’s death, they all lived off his money.

“But for the kids (a daughter of six months, two boys of 5 and 8), let’s get a proper education. No company would do that, you know that Neal. We are doing everything we can here.

“Then we retire the number 21. His shirt. We’ll never use it again. Nobody’s ever done that, not even for Senzo.

“We name a stand after him. Did Pirates do that? Then there’s the memorial service in Khayalitsha, his base, his place, where he lived with his family.

“That’s followed (last Friday) by a memorial service for all supporters at our base, Ikamva. And yes, all of our players were involved in both memorials, they said their farewells, they cried, they cared.

“We are always in contact with the family, said we’ll help with funeral arrangements. They wanted to go somewhere remote in Eastern Cape. That wasn’t ideal for us but we had to respect it. We paid coffin, funeral, food, in the region of R50,000.

“We do all that. The one thing I don’t like thinking, and Ari is too scared to say, is everyone is saying the club stopped the players from going. That’s bullshit. I went. Last training session was Saturday morning, next one was today. We’d never stop anyone from going.

“They’re trying to say club stopped people from going. That not true. Some Chippa United players went, they were local. But there was nobody from the PSL, SAFA, no other club. For me to get there, I left at 6am got home after 11pm. How do you expect everybody to get there?

“It was a real trip. First we flew from Cape Town to East London, drove to Butterworth 120km. I thought that was it but then there was the drive to the village (Chebe in Centane).

“Neal, you’re English. You've got no idea, a dust road for about 50km, not even a four-by-four can go on that thing, we crossed river, water, rocks. And all of it in an Avis rental car, it must be buggered.

“We managed to get there 12.30, the funeral had started, we already told the mother we’d be late, she respected that.

“We were there. Listened to a couple of speeches. Then the minister started the real thing. Coffin was carried, Cecil was buried. After that we had to leave, needed three hours to get back to airport. We spoke to the father and the mother. We did everything we could.

“I hear stories Ajax stopped players from attending, all this hogwash. This minister arrived 45 minutes before me, having a political go. Using it as a political tool. DA against ANC. Majodina her name was. She looked disappointed when we got there.

“It’s about Lolo, not politics. Nobody stopped anyone from going, the club felt that’s what they were going to do from the beginning. The family chose the burial site, what more do you want?

“I have to ask. Why didn’t Robert Marawa go? I was there. Some close friends of his were there. But some people just can’t get there. That’s life today, you know what I mean.

“Everyone’s climbing on a bandwagon, trying to be all cultural, it’s very disappointing. Ari is trying to protect the players, obviously they didn’t go. No player came and asked to come because they knew where it was.

“Two memorial services, armbands, minute’s silence, we even stopped the match to clap in the 21st minute. All these things were done. Lolo’s seat is empty in the dressing room with flowers on it. We’re going to put a picture up. We respected his culture.

“I saw a picture of Senzo’s grave the other day, he doesn’t even have a grave stone yet. All the people who are having a go, these soccer journalists who never played football, where were they? Did they pay their respects?

Cecil was “The Real Warrior” to me. We had a very good relationship. I was devastated. It only sank in when I got to the parent’s home in the morning. It hit me.

“You go through it, feel every tear, yet here people are lying about players not being allowed to attend the funeral. What kind of story is that?”

Should any media houses/sites wish to use excerpts from this EXCLUSIVE story, feel free, just credit. And stop trying to capitalise on Cecil Lolo's death.

UPDATE: November 11: This story has been used by Kickoff, The Citizen, News24 and The Times.

FOR BALANCE:
1 What Cecil's dad says: http://www.dispatchlive.co.za/news/lolos-dad-feels-let-down-by-ajax/


2 What Senzo's dad says: http://www.timeslive.co.za/sport/soccer/2015/11/11/Senzo-Meyiwas-dad-furious-at-Khoza-for-going-public-with-insurance-payout

WELL HELLO DOLLY: What Angola SHOULD be saying when they play South Africa on Saturday

FORM-IDABLE: Dolly makes his Bafana debut v Sudan last year

PICTURE THIS: Saturday in Angola's Benguela Province, South Africa's men in green surging forward with Keagan Dolly and Kermit Erasmus, the PSL's in-form front-runners, leading the crusade for World Cup qualification.

Of course, it ain't gonna happen. But it should.

Even as the pain of his Telkom KO semi-final defeat sunk in on Saturday night, SuperSport United coach Gordon Igesund had time to mention the name on everybody’s lips: Keagan Dolly.

With disappointment written all over his face, the former Bafana Bafana coach knew exactly what he was saying: “The big difference tonight was Dolly. He was fantastic for Sundowns.”

And as Gord’s nemesis Pitso Mosimane celebrated reaching the final against Kaizer Chiefs on December 16 - yes, that’s right, Reconciliation Day - he too grasped that particular nettle: why is 22-year-old Dolly, perhaps South Africa’s best player, consistently ignored by Bafana Bafana coach Shakes Mashaba?

Dolly actually made his debut for the senior side against Sudan in AFCON2015 qualifiers last season, but he has been used as an Under 23 player ever since, with some effect. Since that debut he has made the loan-delayed R7m move to Sundowns from Ajax Cape Town and he appears to go from strength to strength despite the leap to Tshwane.

But with the crucial two-legged World Cup qualifiers against Angola coming up in Benguela on Saturday and Durban next Tuesday, Dolly remains out of the Banana squad despite starring for Mosimane’s Sundowns all season.

Shaun Barlett told me on Sunday no discussion has taken place over Dolly’s U23 commitments. What is clear is, Dolly could play against Angola AND participate in the 8-nation Olympic qualifying tournament in Senegal later this month.

On top of all this came Saturday’s news - kept quiet since last Thursday - of Itumeleng Khune’s knee injury which will require surgery this week, putting the Kaizer Chiefs No1 out of Mashaba’s plans.

And it has to be asked: If Tower Mathoho was too sore to take a penalty in the Soweto Derby shoot-out on Saturday, can we expect him to play 90 minutes at the Ombaka Stadium on Saturday?

Up front, Tokelo Rantie made an all-too-brief Premier League debut when he came on as a late substitute for Bournemouth against Newcastle on Saturday. But that hardly compares to the work done by unpicked Kermit Erasmus in the PSL of late.

The idea of going in to the Angola games without the in-form Dolly and Erasmus seems ridiculous for a nation so short on real, young talent. Especially with defensive mainstays Khune and Mathoho in trouble.

The opposition? At 99, they’re ranked below South Africa (75) by FIFA but Angola have a well-funded local league and put Bafana out of CHAN (which is restricted to players from their domestic leagues) just last month. Though Thabo Senong appeared to run the show and they did manage a 2-1 away win after an awful 0-2 home defeat at the Rand Stadium, it's clearly not going to be a cake-walk.

Angola’s home-based players warmed up for the South Africa games with a four-nation tournament against DRC, Zambia and Namibia over the weekend, but they will call on an extra six European-based players for the World Cup qualifiers.

They have their own Dolly - Dolly Menga (Tondela FC of Portugal) - plus Djalma Campos (Genclerbirlije, Turkey), Clinton (Sport Charleroi, Belgium), Buatu (Waasland Beveren, Belgium), former Oldham star Kussunga (now in Switzerland) and Adão (Sion, Switzerland) to add to their homegrown stars.

Mashaba offers defiance: “The last time we beat Angola, you could see that they were not happy at all, they were very uncomfortable with a loss to us.

“They said to us, no we’ll get you next time and even before the CHAN game, their officials said now its payback time and they beat us.

“So this is going to be a very tough game for us against Angola again, so we’ll need strong boys with characters when we get there.” 

But without a win in EIGHT competitive games - the draw in Nigeria then three at AFCON 2015, two at home in the COSAFA Cup and two in AFCON 2017 qualifying - words and friendly results are not enough.

Shakes needs to consider form not old favourites or agent recommendations. The thought of Dolly and Erasmus on the rampage should be foremost in his mind.

SOWETO DERBY: Tinkler reprieved... Komphela falls in to the Bobby trap

CHIEF CONCERN: Eric Tinkler joins in the Pirates celebrations on Saturday

JUST when you thought it was safe to write off South Africa’s greatest footballing rivalry, along comes a clash like Saturday’s fascinating four-goal affair at Soccer City.

The re-christened FNB Stadium wasn’t quite packed to the rafters, the hype wasn’t really there, Halloween made Kaizer Chiefs look like pumpkins and the first 20 minutes were, frankly, drivel.

But once Siya Sangweni had crushed stand-in centre-back Ivan Bukenya to pressure Itumeleng Khune in to a parry, Issa “Super” Sarr snapped up the rebound and the Soweto Derby finally had meaning again.

For Eric Tinkler, who works without a contract like the eternal caretaker, Tower Mathoho’s equaliser must have been like a dagger to the heart. A free header, his experienced defenders caught napping, 1-1 and all that hard work undone.

But there was no doubt who was dominant. Before the game, few game Tinkler’s men any chance against Chiefs, who would have gone top of the PSL for a couple of hours with a win. But they were dreadful on Saturday.

Despite inspiring the Buccaneers to the CAF Confederations Cup final with a win over might Al Ahly of Egypt, Tinkler has never had the whole-hearted support of the Ghost, even on Halloween.

Before the game, the nuggety midfielder who carved out a name for himself at the top level in Europe - which is more than any Bafana Bafana player can say these days - admitted he was under huge pressure.

With Screamer Tshabalala screaming and chairman Irvin Khoza apparently not interested, Tinkler couldn’t even find a willing volunteer for the captain’s armband after another morale sapping defeat against “sister club” Golden Arrows in midweek.

But somehow, even after Tower’s towering equaliser, Pirates fought their way back. As I said on radio and the social networks in the build-up, the Sea Robbers have become “big game hunters” in an endless season complicated by their continental crusade.

With only one win in their previous seven domestically, it was Ayanda Gcaba, once a promising rugby player, who rose to make it 2-1. And after fabulous work from Kermit Erasmus, Thami Gabuza was on hand to score the third and kill the game.

Tinkler, who had failed in both his previous efforts to usurp his arch-rivals, grinned afterwards: “For me, this was expected. I know what these lads can produce, and they’ve done it today. I’m very, very proud of them.

“Our tactical strategy worked fantastically well. There’s not a single player I can point at that didn't put in a solid performance.

“It's great to get a 3-1 win against Chiefs, but the truth of the matter is that we now need to turn our focus towards Ajax Cape Town, our next game.”

He’s right of course. Pirates aren’t out of trouble yet. They need to be contenders before the fans will stop their #tinklerout campaign. But at least they moved ahead of Gordon Igesund’s SuperSport United, which proves a point of some kind.

Suddenly the spotlight is on Steve Komphela, whose record against Pirates now reads played 12, won 2, drawn 2, lost 8. I said when Bobby Motaung dismantled his record-breaking championship machine last season, the urbane Komphela would be under too much pressure.

The loss of coach Stuart Baxter is not as serious as the shocking failure to give Tefu Mashamaite, last season’s PSL player of the year, a new contract. To play Bukenya, the ageless Ugandan midfielder, at centre-back, is to invite trouble. Quite what’s happened to Siyanda Xulu, who is now the best paid player in the PSL, nobody knows. An old injury? Back in training? But not ready for the derby? Curious.

And then there’s the other title winner they kicked out. Mandla Masango. Like MashaMIGHTY, he was forced to find a job in Scandinavia after Bobby and Chiefs refused him the pay rise he thought he deserved.

For those who have forgotten so quickly, Masango was the AmaKhosi’s top scorer in that title triumph last season. His ability to nick valuable goals from midfield is lost, George Lebese has been a capable stand-in but he appears to be carrying an injury of late.

All of which leaves Komphela, for all his flowery post-match interviews, in a bit of a hole. Instead of going top, they fall away and are lucky Bidvest Wits failed to win a couple of hours after the Soweto derby to extend their advantage with a game in hand.

Komphela blustered: “Pirates were a yard ahead of us. Each time we got the ball we lost it, and they were faster.

““We just need to go back and re-think what happened today. We lost it, we have to respond and congratulations to them.”

Not quite what the AmaKhosi wanted to hear as the Chiefs unbeaten record went up in smoke. But before the vast ranks of gold-and-black clad fans turn on Komphela, remember this: It was the “football manager” Bobby Motaung who opted to dismantle the championship squad. As I said at the time: there is only one man to blame.


Also worth a read on this issue:

How Khune was nearly Bobby trapped too: http://neal-collins.blogspot.co.za/2015/07/the-bubble-burst-where-it-all-went.html

Why Baxter REALLY left Kaizer Chiefs: http://neal-collins.blogspot.co.za/2015/05/stuart-baxter-exclusive-best-season-of.html

Mbalula Fikile's astonishing tribute to the Springboks: I'll just leave this here. No editing. You comment.

JACK IN THE BOKS: Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula

Here is Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula's statement on the Springboks finishing third at the Rugby World Cup in England, sent to me by e-mail this morning.

There are some quite incredible comments like "The springboks  are our African African patriots, in their veins flow the blood of our common ancestors" and anybody who disagrees? "Our people must forever be vigilant and not allow our detractors to bastardise Mandela’s legacy".

Remember, this is the man who once described South Africa's national football team Bafana Bafana as a bunch of losers. Who accused this writer of "being on nyaope" for revealing the deceit of the pre-2010 "African Diaspora fund" when he was denying all knowledge of that infamous $10m payment.

The man who singularly fails to deal with the real issues in sport - match-fixing, bribery, development and corruption - appears to have worked really hard on this document. While he prepares to spend R6.5 BILLION on the Commonwealth Games in Durban (a sum which would provide free university education for ALL) with accusations of corruption already coming to the surface, appears obsessed by our elderly, unrepresentative rugby team. The question is: WHY?

Please read it carefully. It's quite staggering. Not quite sure what the ancestors would think.

STATEMENT

TO ALL MEDIA 

31 OCTOBER 2015

MINISTER OF SPORT AND RECREATION SOUTH AFRICA, MR FIKILE MBALULA STATEMENT FOLLOWING THE EXIT OF SOUTH AFRICA FROM THE IRB WORLD CUP

Today we pay homage and tribute to the springbok team that defeated Argentina to claim the third place in the IRB 2015 I World Cup. I take this rare opportunity to salute Victor Matfield, Schalk Burger, Brian Habana,  Fourie du Preez, Jean de Villers for their selfless services and infinite commitment to the man in black green and gold and the people of South Africa. These senior players ,who by right and exhibition, reached their twilight days in international rugby remain loads stars to the current generation and a source of inspiration to posterity. Go well you South African compatriots! Farewell you faithful soldiers. 

As a nation we must remember that the springboks entered this World Cup against the backdrop of four successive loses in international test rugby. A shocking loss to Japan in the opening match  at the IRB 2015 RWC. Our boys in green and gold came to the IRB 2015 RWC representing a divided nation bickering over demographic representation and grappling with the necessary and inevitable perennial transformation debate. 

On the other hand, the All Blacks from New Zealand, our opponents had none of the above and that naturally gives them an edge over us. With all that baggage, the boys advanced to the semi-finals and gave the All Blacks a taste of their own medicine before bowing out in dignity and with their heads standing high on their shoulders. That is the spirit, bravado, passion, pride and brute synonymous with the springbok team. 

For this act and never die spirit of a springbok team, the nation salute and the coach for flying the South African flag high and fearlessly fighting to bring the Webb Ellis cup to the African continent for the third time. We take our hats off to the team for demonstrating once again that victory and glory belong to those who are prepared to make supreme sacrifices. The Springboks are the harbingers of the future and the posterity will benefit immensely by taking a leaf from their trial and tribulations. 

The springboks  are our African African patriots, in their veins flow the blood of our common ancestors. Whatever challenges we face as a nation, whatever contradictions society throws up in the  course of the struggle for transformation, whoever maliciously attempt to derail the path our government, has chosen ; that of peace and development thorough sport, nation building and social cohesion through sport, our people must forever be vigilant and not allow our detractors to bastardise Mandela’s legacy.

We must be vigilant, defend the core-values, consolidate what we have achieved thus far, advance and deepen the struggle for democracy, transformation and development in sport. The springboks and the transformation of any other code must be located in that vortex of a nation constructing it's identity and taking its rightful place in the global community.

I end by invoking the words of a Brazilian Philosopher Roberto Unger when he said “ the internal dynamics of societies, the revelations of inescapable conflicts and missed opportunities, are the proximate cause of their transformation”. Therein lies the strategic debate in framing the discourse and preparing our nation for the 2019 RWC in Japan. In the coming years we will not entertain meaningless debates. We have a Transformation Charter and the Eminent Persons Group on Transformation comprehensive recommendations to implement in order  to achieve transformation goals.

Ends.

The Scorpion kick: South Africa's Itumeleng Khune does a Rene Higuita, twenty years on. Don't try this at home!

STING IN THE TALE: Itumeleng Khune's Scorpion. Video of BOTH below

HERE it is, the Itumeleng Khune scorpion kick used by the Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper against Mpumalanga Black Aces on Tuesday night (Oct 27, 2015).

In a clash of two unbeaten PSL clubs, Khune was voted Man of the Match for a series of superb saves - including a point blank header from top scorer Collins Mbesuma - which saw his club triumph 1-0.

But it was THIS MOMENT which has swept the football-speaking world.

Twenty years after Rene Higuita of Colombia stunned England fans with his effort at Wembley, Khune grinned afterwards: "I promised to do it in an official match… what a relief.”

Higuita produced his acrobatics (using two legs, not one) in a friendly... but Khune's cheeky clearance stunned the FNB Stadium, once known as Soccer City, venue of the 2010 World Cup.

Higuita used the kick to deny Jamie Redknapp's speculative effort in a dull 0-0 draw on 6 September 1995, while Khune produced his magic in a must-win clash at the top of South Africa's domestic league.

Khune's final word: "Every day you are blessed with opportunities to get better."

SEXWALE FOR PRESIDENT! The man we call Tokyo is ready to give old friend Blatter the chop at FIFA

JUST GOOD FRIENDS: Sepp Blatter and Tokyo Sexwale

MOSIMA GABRIEL SEXWALE. They call him Tokyo because he loved karate as a kid. And everyone's asking WHO is this reclusive South African millionaire thrust back in to the spotlight by his willingness to stand for FIFA president on February 26?

What was it he said yesterday? "The brand of FIFA is seriously damaged following various scandals. It needs to be restored."

Brave sentiments. Now 62, Sexwale has never been involved in professional football as a player or administrator, but that shouldn’t rule him out of contention against a diverse list of people who have thrown their names into the hat to replace the currently suspended Sepp Blatter.

Described by the Guardian in the UK as “ an apartheid-era political prisoner turned multimillionaire mining tycoon”, Tokyo is listed only as FIFA’s “anti-racism” advisor. His latest mission was to sort out the "normalisation" of football in Palestine and Israel... he has played no public part in footballing or sporting administration in South Africa.

Sexwale (it’s NOT pronounced Sex Whale, for Westerners who can’t click it’s more like Sesh Waa Lay) didn’t have much time for sport as a young man, he was too busy (like many of his generation) fighting South Africa’s inhuman political philosophy Apartheid (pronounced Aparthate).

He’s a struggle hero in his home country, which comes with its own unique pressures. Most famously of all, he was jailed on Robben Island alongside the father of the nation, Nelson Mandela. When Aparthate fell in 1994, Tokyo became the first democratic Premier of Gauteng, the province which grew out of the old Transvaal, incorporating the huge metropolis of Johannesburg and Pretoria, the financial hub of the mining nation.

SMILE PLEASE: Blatter, Sexwale and Valcke with
Nelson Mandela during the World Cup in 2010

Politically, Sexwale was once headed for the presidency, but his attempts to unseat South Africa’s second democratic president Thabo Mbeki failed as Jacob Zuma slipped in to the hot-seat after the ANC’s Polokwane conference in 2007.

From 2009 to 2013, Tokyo was Minister of Human Settlements but his time in the ruling African National Congress came to an end when he chose once more to invest his energy in to mining rather than politics - an astute decision given the corruption allegations which have raged around Zuma’s reign

Sexwale was born in Orlando West, the son of a clerk at a local hospital. He left Orlando West High in 1973, just four years short of the Soweto Uprising which, infamously, saw school children shot by a minority Apartheid government still clinging to power.

A follower of Steve Biko’s black consciousness movement, he was a leader in the South African Student Movement before fleeing the country as so many struggle exiles did, to join Umkhonto we Sizwe, (“Spear of the Nation”) to fight the white minority government. He completed a Certificate in Business Studies during his time in Swaziland, a small independent nation almost entirely surrounded by South Africa.

He also spent time in the old Soviet Union, training with their military, specialising in engineering. But when Sexwale returned to South Africa, he was arrested and imprisoned for 18 years for terrorism and conspiracy to overthrow the National Party government.

During his 13 years on Robben Island - the “Alcatraz” off Cape Town which was reserved for freedom fighters - he studied for a B Com degree before his release in 1990 under the Groote Schuur Agreement. He is recognised as an expert in the African mining industry, particularly in the diamond sector.

Tokyo struck up a relationship with local para-legal Judy van Vuuren while he was behind bars - they married soon after he was released. The African National Congress beckoned and Sexwale took over the PWV province, previously Transvaal, now Gauteng, after the elections. In 1998 he left politics to forge a career as a businessman but he was drawn back when Mbeki was replaced by Zuma… only to leave again. That he is successful is beyond doubt. He is President of South Africa’s Russian and Japanese business forums and is Honorary Consul General of Finland.

But his football connections are marked mainly by a strong relationship with the now disgraced Sepp Blatter. Sexwale, through the build-up to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, was often pictured with Blatter and his side-kick Jerome Valcke, he was the hand-holder, the smiling face of Africa's first EVER World Cup.

Though Danny Jordaan, the SAFA president who now also doubles as the ANC’s Mayor of Port Elizabeth, has backed him for the FIFA job, neither have addressed the controversies which stir in the background. From his attempts to unseat Mbeki to his involvement in business deals in the north of the continent to his public rift with wife Judy, Sexwale is not quite the squeaky clean leader required by FIFA post-Blatter.

What was it Jordaan said when "approving" Sexwale's candidacy yesterday? "We've endorsed him unanimously because we are comfortable Tokyo's history, credibility, life experience will help resurrect the essential sport of the African continent, the ONLY sport played by all 54 nations on our continent"

Personally, I'd have gone for former Leeds United and Bafana Bafana icon Lucas Radebe if SAFA are going to back somebody for a top football job without an experience at SAFA. Radebe is squeaky-clean, he owns no $70m islands, he does not do business with questionable regimes up north.

Still, Tokyo's rivals for the hottest seat in football are hardly glowing paragons of virtue. Michel Platini, the former France midfielder, has the footballing credentials but is tainted by payments made to him by Blatter.

Another Frenchman, Jérôme Champagne, is former deputy general secretary of FIFA who has long dabbled in footballing politics while Jordan’s Prince Ali bin al-Hussein is known only for his run against Blatter in May. A fourth candidate, David Nakhid, a former Trinidad & Tobago midfielder, is marked by his connections to Jack Warner’s controversial CONCACAF administration.

Sexwale says: "Issa Hayatou (the life-long CAF president and caretaker boss at FIFA until Blatter is unsuspended) has invited me to come to Cairo on October 28. I will put forward my proposals for reforms in FIFA. The mantle of president is heavy."

Still, with Liberia’s Musa Bility out of the running, Sexwale is sure to pull most, if not all, of Africa’s 54 votes, not bad in an electorate of 209.

And the German FA have gone public with their support. Platini is discredited and currently suspended, leaving many European nations looking for a mast to nail their colours too. Bahrain's Sheikh Salman Bing Al-Khalifa may enter the race too, the Asia Football Confederation president may attract European votes too despite human rights issues.

But Sexwale was in jail with Madiba. He has a great name. He's so rich, corruption may not be worth the bother. Why not Sexwale?