POLOKWANE – The poor woman has been asking herself why her man was behaving in such an eccentric manner, thinking I have lost my bloody mind.
Instead of praying to God to help me prosper and perform traditional rituals for both the maternal and paternal ancestors to protect me, I have been mentioning softball elections in my prayers and mephaso.
The elections of the new leadership of Limpopo Softball Association (LSA) that took place in Polokwane on Sunday have taken a huge toll on me in a strange manner.
I was scared – as if my future depended on the elections. You will never know what will happen when election processes start to unfold.
Voters are bribed, delegates are intimidated and a whole host of shenanigans just come into foul play. Not even the Independent Electoral Commission can straightforwardly curb vote rigging.
Be that as it may, softball, particularly here in Limpopo, could not be degenerated into Zimbabwe where every election process is suspicious and the head of state is the prime suspect.
Softball people are among the most civilised folks I have ever met. They are my people. They’ve introduced me to the world of sport and turned me into the athletic specimen I’ve been since my youth.
So, when we went into the elections over the weekend, I was pinning my faith on God and the gods, wishing that corruption should not flourish.
While I have made peace with the realm that God and the ancestors have never granted me all my wishes, I was crossing my fingers that useless elements should not sneak into the administration of the game.
There are certain individuals who have no room in this structure called LSA, hence they do not have the best interest of the game at heart.
Without mentioning names, they were the very deadwood who, under their watch, the game slipped into the intensive care unit (ICU).
Good riddance if they could stay the hell away from the provincial administration and allow the new sheriffs in town to resuscitate the domestic game from the dreaded ICU.
For many years, softball has been branded as the game of intellectuals, stylish men who would court women with their flamboyant demeanour and stylish performance on the field of play, but it is the intellectual virtuosity that should supersede all elements on voting day.
Now that the tumultuous storm is over, may the new leadership take the game where it is supposed to be.
Let’s play ball… pitch!
