Tokyo Sexwale is an ambitious man who it appears will stop at nothing in his lust for power.
When President Jacob Zuma had his run-ins with then President Thabo Mbeki and Zuma’s wagon seemed to be faltering at times, the ambitious Sexwale, from nowhere, stepped in and offered himself as a compromise candidate for presidency of the ANC, which would automatically mean he was the heir apparent for the number one citizen of this country.
When his own wagon too started faltering as Zuma’s picked up speed, he quickly flipped colour like a chameleon to suit the environment and threw his lot behind Zuma.
Now, Sexwale has done it again. From nowhere, he has declared himself a candidate for the Fifa presidency, with elections taking place in February next year.
Sexwale is a nobody as far as South African football matters, activities and administration are concerned. He does not belong to any structure of football in this country, nor has he ever participated in one, except for the fact that he is opposed to racism in football.
Any Tom, Dick or Harry can be opposed to racism, but that does not translate to them being members of a football structure and hence become eligible to stand for office in Safa, Cosafa, Caf or Fifa for that matter.
Tokyo should know that for someone to rise to a top leadership position in football, just in the same way as his ANC party, you have to come through the ranks and go through the mill. You have to come from the branches and work your way up until the top-most position. You cannot jump the gun and just emerge from nowhere and say now that you want to lead the ANC, yet the ANC members don’t know you.
The same applies to football. You have to come from the ranks, starting from your local LFA, working your way up to regional, provincial and then national.
From there, you must work your way to continental regional structures such as Cosafa and to your continental top-most structure as well such as Caf. It is these structures that allow you to stand for any position and you are assured of their votes as they have nominated or mandated you to stand.
In Tokyo’s case, who mandated him to stand? He is nobody as far as Safa is concerned, except for the general knowledge that he is an ANC member, former premier, minister and so forth, but we don’t know a footballing Tokyo except that he is opposed to racism in football.
If in that Fifa election he manages to come out with one vote, he must count himself very lucky.
He must ask Danny Jordaan. All I can say to him at this point and time is good luck ‘chameleon’ Tokyo.
