What Soweto meant to Joost
Today South Africa bids farewell to a ‘Cappie’ who never shirked a battle, on or off the field
THE Bulls had rampaged their way to a third Super Rugby final in four years in 2010, and were odds-on favourites to be crowned champions once more.
But this time around, there was a spanner in the works – the game had to be played at Orlando Stadium in Soweto, instead of Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria due to the 2010 Fifa World Cup taking place a few weeks later.
Now, that could have made the most ardent Bulls fan nervous. If you are a person of colour and have been to Loftus over the years, you would know what I’m talking about. “What are you doing here today? The soccer is tomorrow,” was one of the classic insults that black supporters had to endure when attending rugby games.
Things have changed since then, with the Bulls support base becoming more dynamic by the day, and everyone being welcomed with open arms at Loftus.
But at the time, I had my reservations about whether taking the 2010 Super Rugby final to Orlando Stadium was the right move. Would the Bulls fans stay away? How would the people of Soweto deal with the whole situation?
Well, the semi-final against the Crusaders the week before was a resounding success by all accounts, with the Bulls beating the seven-time champions from New Zealand and a capacity crowd having attended.
On the Thursday before the final between the Bulls and Stormers, I called up various rugby greats from the past for their views on the game, and one of them was Joost van der Westhuizen. I had never spoken to Joost before, so I was a bit anxious. His reputation preceded him – a Springbok legend, but someone who had made positive (and some negative) comments about the infamous Kamp Staaldraad ahead of the 2003 World Cup, and he was also accused of provincialism in a suspected split between Bulls and WP players in the Bok side at the time.
There were the other off-field issues in his personal life, such as the fall-out with wife Amor Vittone, and his having admitted culpability in the video scandal just a year earlier in 2009.
So, would he even speak to me, a journalist? But, from the moment I explained I was calling from Cape Town to talk about the Super Rugby final, you could hear genuine excitement in his voice. And that wasn’t just about the technical rugby stuff he had been asked. The Soweto question came up, and Joost’s response left me stunned.
“For me, it is just so great and unbelievable. I am so happy that last week (the semi-final) was a success in Soweto... the Bulls have never in their lives made new friends so quickly as in Soweto.
“Yesterday I sat in a restaurant and I was having my lunch, and there was a table with a lot of black businessmen. They know every Blue Bull player by name, they were at the game last week, and I got goosebumps just hearing that! It is so great that things have worked out like this. “I have a very good feeling about the occasion. I hate to speak about the past, but 1995 (the Springbok Rugby World Cup triumph) played a big role in the development and nation-building in our country. I think it was meant to be that the Stormers and Bulls in 2010, with the biggest Soccer World Cup, can play a big role in bringing our country together.” Would you ever!
Here was a Bulls and Springbok icon, born and raised in Pretoria and made at Loftus, speaking like a statesman for the new, democratic South Africa.
And Joost was right – Soweto was buzzing. In the media bus ride to Orlando Stadium, we could see how white Bulls supporters in their team jerseys were enjoying
chesa nyama in driveways and on sidewalks, with music blaring from massive speakers.
Joost spoke about the rugby as well. “You sit with a wing like Gio Aplon! I think Aplon deserves his Springbok spot. Jaque and De Jongh have grown such a lot as a combination. De Jongh’s try last week made me think of Danie Gerber in the past! “Fourie du Preez and Morné Steyn are a world-class combination, a worldclass lock pair, Gurthrö is playing his best rugby… I don’t like to say, but the Bulls’ experience will just be too much.”
Joost was the ultimate fighter on the field, and was one of the greatest scrumhalves in modern-day rugby. One of his finest performances for the Boks came in a Test against the All Blacks in Durban in 1998, when South Africa were 23-5 down with 15 minutes left.
Joost darted around a ruck to score and spark the comeback, and the Boks won 24-23. And off it, he kept motor neurone disease at bay for as long as he could. Initial expectations, after the disease was diagnosed in 2011, were that Joost might live for a year or two. He turned it into six...
To see one of the finest rugby players confined to a wheelchair, hardly able to speak, was a jarring sight. We’ve experienced it before in rugby with former Saru captain Salie Fredericks and Bok flank André Venter, who are both still alive, in wheelchairs. Ex-Bok centre Tinus Linee also succumbed to MND in November 2014. Monday was a sad day as we found out that Joost had lost his final “Test match” against MND. But he proved that he is a hero for all South Africans with his performances on the field and fighting spirit off it, especially over the last few years.And fittingly, Joost will make one final appearance at Loftus today, where a memorial service will take place at 12.30pm.
The SA Rugby Union have encouraged supporters to wear green and gold, while there are likely to be many in their light blue Bulls jerseys as well. So that we can all say “Rest In Peace, Cappie…”