A Wider Angle: Football fires up fight for rhinos

THEY swaggered, hip-hop style from the back of the function room in a long line, singing in Zulu ‘Look after our Rhinos’ (‘Nibabulalelani Obhenjane’).

A few had dark glasses on, others shiny pants and pointy shoes. Others tried their best to look smart.

An audience of some 500 people either came to their feet but anyway clapped in unison. It was stirring stuff.

It must have taken all of three to four minutes for the winning team the ‘Mhlana Zebras’ to reach the podium to receive their R30 000 prize.

It was followed by their netball counterparts and teams that had come second or third.

‘Look at this,’ I told myself. For a moment I steeped outside my status on that podium and watched.

For them this was the equivalent of Las Vegas!

They had won the Ezemvelo Cup final at the Richards Bay Sports Complex and had a week to prepare themselves for this gala dinner at the Sibaya Casino.

For many I knew this was the first time they had even been to there, let along parade themselves before sponsors, sports administrators and even the Mayor of Durban.

‘Nibabulalelani Obhenjane’. The song got louder the closer they got to the podium.

I got a lump in my throat. Months and months of frenetic organisation had catapulted this Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife soccer tournament into something way beyond its origins in 2009.

Back then we assembled 10 teams living around our Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park to begin the process of conscientising our rural communities to the world of conservation and protecting our rhino.

I think we sponsored a few shirts and balls but it was pretty low-key.

But that night, this team of youngsters were top of the pile of 72 teams that had competed throughout KZN. Yes, from Port Shepstone to Ndumo, from Empangeni to Estcourt.

As I shook each hand, clasped at the wrist by the other in the respectful Zulu manner, I saw in all of their eyes a haze of craziness and disbelief.

Readers, may I ask you to feel this pride, too?

Even if I say so myself I believe Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife is breaking new ground. We have begun something the likes of which has never been seen in the annals of South African conservation.

Message understood

This branding of ‘Ezemvelo’ (nature) throughout our rural communities in KZN was given a very different boost last week.

I gave the opening address for our second Conservation Science Symposium in front of some 350 national and internal delegates.

It is now considered the biggest of its kind in South Africa; and some of the messages delivered tell me that we have every reason in the world to hold our heads high; sometimes very high! But that’s for my next column.

For now, my mind flicked back to what my dear friend Dr Ian Player told me earlier this year; ‘Do you know that never before has conservation been as politically and socially so popular amongst our people in this country’s entire conservation history’.

That night I allowed myself to believe him.

Boastful? Well, our sponsors that night gave me every reason to feel this way. They rose as one in their support.

Yes, one by one, Total, Old Mutual, RBM, Katanga, ABI, Boxer Cash and Carry…all of them voiced their approval and pledged to continue their support.

(Three days later one of them offered to sponsor the entire tournament for the next five years)!

Even our friends from the German soccer club Osnabruck had flown out for the event. They again agreed to fly out the two best players from the tournament to train at their club later this year.

As the night wound down, the captain of the winning team came up to thank me for all Ezemvelo had done. I asked him what it meant to him and the players.

‘Khabazela, I know what you are asking me. And we have spoken about it amongst ourselves.

‘The Ezemvelo Cup is about protecting and valuing our wildlife and most especially our rhinos.

‘I can only say that we will do everything we can to spread this message.’