Golf star Dylan Naidoo is a reincarnation of SA’s sports legends

Many of my fellow South Africans are of the opinion that we should move away from the racial stigmas of the past. And, in a developing country, there is a strong case for this. But as much as we would like to practise this, sometimes it is just not possible. 

I realised this when I watched Wayde van Niekerk win the 400m at the Rio Olympics in 2016. After the race, I stood in that stadium and held my South African flag up high. Many foreign spectators turned to me and cheered. What they didn’t know was that I wasn’t only celebrating Van Niekerk but the plethora of world-class South African “coloured” sportsmen who came before him. 

You will not find their names in any halls of fame, sports or on those fancy SuperSport newsreels. You will not find their names alongside Graeme Pollock, Barry Richards or Gary Player — but they were great, nonetheless. Many say they were even better than the likes of Herschelle Gibbs, Benni McCarthy and Vernon Philander. 

And there were a number of them — Pat Blair, Duncan Crowie, Charles Carey, Keith America, Boebie Solomons, Hector Fynn, Georgie Francis, Gavin Snyman and Mark Buckley (from soccer); Basil d’Oliviera, Tiffy Barnes, Koeki Neethling, Tiny Abed, Saaiet Majiet and Michael Patrick (cricket); David Samaai, Cavan Bergman, Marcelino Winlock and Raymond Anthony (tennis); Enver Lyners (table-tennis); Andy Wrankmore and Denver Hendricks (squash); Ron Elland and Precious McKenzie (weightlifting) and Cecil Blous, Herman Gibbs, Steve Rive, Cecil Wilton, Reshaad Williams, Ian February and Shaun Vester (athletics). And I’m just naming a handful.

To me, Van Niekerk is the offspring of this great line of sporting thoroughbreds.

And when I saw Dylan Naidoo had won the SA Open this Sunday at Durban Country Club, similar feelings ran through my veins. I thought about other great sportsmen of colour. Among them: Sugar Ray Xulu, Thiri Rampath, Steve Kalamazoo, Dharam Mohan, Jomo Sono, Maniraj Singh, Ace Nstolongoe, Super Naidoo and Daya Maistry (soccer); Stanley Govender, Yacoob Omar, George Langa, Devdas Govindjee, Solly Chotia, Ben Malamba, Baboo Ebrahim and Jugoo Govender (cricket); SS Maharaj, Jasmat Dhiraj, Hassan Mahomedy and Richman Mahlangu (tennis); Matthews Temane, Kiruban Naidoo, Karamchand Hiraman, Matthews Motshwareteu and Jock Maduray (athletics); Pradeep “King” Singh (volleyball); Tap Tap Makhatini (boxing) and Vincent Shabalala, Daddy Naidoo and, of course, the great Papwa Sewgolum (golf). Again, I’m only naming a few but there were many, many more.

When I think of all of them, it raises the question — had the playing fields been level, would there have been a different sports landscape in South Africa? Simply by judging the composition of current South African sports teams and the example of Naidoo’s victory, the answer can only be “yes”. 

Sewgolum, of course, remains one of the greatest South African legends. He was not only famous because he won the Natal Open (on another rainy day at Durban Country Club), he became a legend because he won three Dutch Opens. For the son of a blind woman, who was so poor that he couldn’t afford to go to school and was forced to support his family by caddying — during the height of apartheid — that was really something. 

So, when we celebrate Naidoo this week, we should spare a thought for all those who went before him. 

Because Naidoo, in many ways, might just be the reincarnation of legends past.

Note: Maybe this should be an open letter to Gayton McKenzie, the sports minister, to make him realise that sport goes a lot further than what we see today on the local channels and it is time he started recognising these legends

Robbie Naidoo has been an author and a sportswriter for 30 years. He played representative tennis, squash and cricket and has reported locally and internationally and covered four Olympic Games.