IKHILIKITHI: Yize ephuma amachilo kusekuningi okufihliwe
Ngabe kuyimanje lisahlezi kunombolo-1 iqembu lakuleli lekhilikithi amaProteas. Iqiniso ukuthi iqembu amaProteas eminyakeni edlule belithembisa kakhulu, liliphakamisa ifulegi lakuleli uma libhekene namanye amazwe. Ukwenza kwalo kahle bekwenza kunganakeki ukuthi kuningi ukucwasana ngobuhlanga okwenzakalayo ngaphakathi. Yize ebenza kahle amaProteas benginakho ukubona ukuthi aboHlanga inkosi impela bacuphile abakhululekile nhlobo.
Ngelinye ilanga omunye wangibuza ukuthi kungani amaProteas engakaze ayinqobe iNdebe YoMhlaba ngoba phela enza kahle kumaTest, kowe-One Day International (ODI) nakuma-T20 International. Impendulo yami yathi “Akukho ukubambisana”, iqembu noma kuthiwa liphethe okhilimu abanjani babadlali kodwa uma ukubambisana kungekho ngeke lelo qembu linqobe.
UMakhaya Ntini kuyangijabulisa ukuthi wakwazi ukubekezela iminyaka eli-11edlala eqenjini lesizwe njengoba adlala kusukela ngowe-1998 kuya kunyaka wezi-2009, kodwa wayengabanye babadlali abathola ukuhlukunyezwa okukhulu kuleli qembu.
Nyakenye uNtini ngoNtulikazi wakhuluma ngaphandle kokufihla, kwezinye zezinkulumo zakhe wathi: “Ngiwuzwile umzwangedwa eqenjini lesizwe. Bengihlezi ngingedwa ngaso sonke isikhathi. Uma kuyodliwa kusihlwa ozakwethu babebizana bodwa, mina kumele ngizifundele kwezami ukuthi kumele ngiphume egunjini lami ngiyodla ngoba ngangizihlalela ngedwa. Akekho noyedwa owayefuna ukuhlala eduze kwami uma kudliwa, ngangizizwa ngiyiqaqa”.
Namanje ngikholelwa ukuthi uNtini ngabe kuningi akuzuza ukube wayenikezwa uthando njengabo bonke abadlali. Izinto azenzela iqembu lesizwe akahlonishwanga ngazo ngoba ungowoHlanga. Besibona oDale Steyn, AB de Villiers, Graeme Smith noShaun Pallock kukhonjiswa ukuthi bayahlonishwa ngoba benebala elimhlophe.
Lokhu kungitshela ukuthi abadlali engangibahlonipha okubalwa uSmith noMark Boucher nabanye babehlukumeza umuntu wakithi aze azibone eyiqaqa ezweni lakhe.
Ekuqaleni kwesonto uBoucher oqeqesha wona amaProteas manje, kuvele ukuthi uxolisile ngokucwasa ozwakabo ayedlala nabo. Lokho kuvele ngesikhathi uPaul Adams owadlala eqenjini lesizwe ngonyaka we-1995 kuya kunyaka wezi-2004 ethi uBoucher ungomunye wabantu ababecwasa.
Kwisitatimende uthe: “Ngiyaxolisa ngengakwenza, okwakukubi noma okwakuzwakala kabi, osekukhulunywe ngakho kulezi zingxoxo. Thina sonke esasikumaProteas ngaleso sikhathi kwakumele siqikelele ukuthi bonke abadlali bakhululekile futhi abanalo uvalo lokubhoboka uma kukhona abangakuthandi. Kwakusahlwile kimina ngesikhathi ngiqala ukudlalela amaProteas.
Ngangisemncane futhi ngiyavuma ukuthi sonke sasingaqondi ukuthi kumele siziphathe kanjani eqenjini lamaProteas elahlanganiswa sekuyiNingizimu Afrika entsha. Asizange sihlaliswe phansi sithole nezeluleko zokuziphatha emuva kobandlululo, sifundiswe nosikompilo olusha lweqembu, ukukhuluma nabezindaba, nokuqinisekisa ukuthi amaphutha enzeka ngesikhathi sobandlululo asiwaphindi. Ngiyavuma ukuthi ngangingakucabangisisi engangikusho nengangikwenza kodwa ngifisa ukucacisa ukuthi akukho engakwenza ngenhloso yokucwasa ozakwethu. Angikaze ngizibone ngingcono kunabo ngenxa yebala lami. Okwakusemqoka kimi ukuthi iqembu liphumelele. Njengoba sengikhulile ngokweminyaka nangokomqondo ngiyavuma ukuthi kungenzeka ukuthi kunezinto engazisho nengazenza ezingahlalanga kahle kwabanye. Ngiyaxolisa kakhulu ngalokho.”
Yize kunjalo kodwa yena uBoucher kanye noSmith bekumele bekhishwe eqenjini lesizwe. Ngoba bangabanye ababekhona kwi-Big 5 okwakuyithimba labadlali ababehamba phambili ekucwaseni.
ISocial Justice and Nation Building (SJN), okuhloswe ukuthi ilethe izinguquko emdlalweni wekhilikithi kuleli kuphele ukucwasana ngebala, nobulili nokunye. Iqale ngomhla zinhlanu kuNtulikazi kanti kwasebethule ubufakazi phambi kukaSihlalo, u-Adv uDumisa Ntsebeza, ilowo owayengumengameli weCSA, uNorman Arendse, owayekwiBhodi yeCSA, uDkt Eugenia Kula-Ameyaw, nowayedlalela amaProteas, u-Omar Henry. Abanye u-Aaron Phangiso naye owageqa amagula ngokucwasa eqenjini lesizwe.
Lowo owayesikhundleni esiphezulu kumaProteas uLinda Zondi naye ungomunye ozokuma phambili akhulume ngokucwaswa abhekane nakho kwelesizwe. Naye uZondi waphuma eqenjini lesizwe kungasekuhle njengoba ayesho ukuthi abadlali bahlukumezeke kakhulu kumaProteas.
Sekuyisikhathi sokuthi kuphele ukuthi kukhona umdlalo wabamhlophe okanye waboHlanga kulinganwe. Yize kumaBhokobhoko kuke kwavela ukuthi kukhona ukucwasana nakhona kodwa ayakwazi ukusithoba izinhliziyo ngokunqoba kuyimanje ahlezi phezulu emhlabeni jikelele emva kokunqoba iNdebe YoMhlaba ngonyaka wezi-2019.