Dear Shakes Mashaba . . .

MSHEKESHEKE, I know you are fine. No, point of correction. I’m not sure if you’re fine if your latest utterances are to serve as a measure of your state of wellbeing. What is eating you, baba? Why are you behaving like an oversized Spanish train that cannot fit on South African rails?

Blimey, there’s no use being grumpy and angry at people who are angry that Bafana Bafana played their worst game under your stewardship.

Going off on a tangent and mouthing mind-boggling missives in defending the indefensible will never change the fact that losing 3-1 to Mauritania was a calamity that caused great damage to the hopes of qualifying for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations in Guinea.

You must appreciate that no one in their right senses can express approval of that diabolical public exhibition of shame disguised as competing in a football match.

You may not be aware, but this raging-bull-in-a-china-shop attitude you’ve adopted lately only serves to promote your self-sabotaging exercise.

Baba, let us get one thing straight: there are no words to describe the mess in Mauritania. Snap out of it. Man up. Move on.

What happened to taking the good with the bad (your own words) in your stride and keeping your eyes on the ball?

Before I forget, what is this insanity of having your son Jabu Mashaba in the press room to ask you questions?

Too bad we missed the launch of Mashaba Media.

Can Jabu produce his accreditation?

Since you refuse to do one-on-ones these days, is that a luxury now exclusively reserved for the internationally renowned journalist Jabu to conduct in the family lounge?

You are treading down dangerous terrain. Keep your family away from your job.

Yours is to protect them, not to expose them. You are the one employed by Safa, not them.

In case you’re not aware, even labour union Cosatu has waded in on the disgusting defeat to Mauritania.

Part of their press statement, under the heading “Cosatu shocked at Bafana Bafana’s performance”, reads: “It is only fair that we state the performance of Bafana is woefully inadequate. A radical shake-up in the management of the team is needed if results do not improve soon . . . This performance, while inadequate, must serve as a lesson to do the right thing for the national team.”

Are you going to unleash Jabu to attend the next press conference of Cosatu to ask Tony Ehrenreich why he issued that statement? And by the way, why didn’t you call Jabu a small boy like you did with journalist Mazola Molefe?

Frankly, being an ageist is a game for small boys.

Stop behaving as if it is you against the world. Perhaps this is where I should bring in Tupac Shakur.

“Got me worried, stressin, my vision’s blurred

The question is will I live? No one in the world loves me

I’m headed for danger, don’t trust strangers

Put one in the chamber whenever I’m feelin this anger . . .

It’s just me against the world baby”

Hip-hop may not be your plate of meat. But I’m sure your small boy Jabu can explain what Tupac means in his ditty “It is me against the world.”

That’s my way of saying you are making yourself a fool by responding to tweets because you have bigger fish to fry, like qualifying for 2017 Afcon.

Stop the small-boy mentality for the only place it is going to take you is somewhere in the middle of nowhere, fast.

Don’t forget that the person who said those whom the gods want to destroy they first make mad was once a small boy. And do remember, you are not rational when you are emotional.

Yours, BBK