Mbalula ‘Razzmatazz’ rollercoaster over

Ajoker of all words and a master of none, Fikile Mbalula led a rollercoaster six-year period for South African sport. Praised for his energy and enthusiasm as much as he was criticised for outlandish remarks and outdated policies, he leaves some potholes well covered, but his successor Thulas Nxesi has been left with some craters to fill.

Considering the vocabulary often used in his speeches, it’s hard to believe the exuberant, self-titled “Razzmatazz” knew what he was saying half the time during his term, but his most effective tool was his ability to sweep up a few spilled words as quickly as he had spat them out.

In 2014 he called the national football team a “bunch of losers” when they were eliminated in the first round of the Africa Cup of Nations, and after receiving widespread criticism for his comment, he later used it to his advantage and gained equally extensive support whenever he called any team a “bunch of winners”.

It was that same ability to turn around his own blunders which made Mbalula one of the most loved and hated sports ministers in South Africa’s young democracy.

Taking up the post before the age of 40, he carried an energetic spring to his step and a whip at the end of his tongue which made some of his predecessors resemble elderly pavement observers.

In one of his boldest and most successful moves during his tenure, Mbalula gained significant support from the South African sporting community in 2012 when

Wesley Bo on

his intervention in a long-running scandal resulted in the sacking of controversial former Cricket SA chief executive Gerald Majola, who was found to be involved in double dipping.

Numerous calls, however, for him to assist in resolving issues within other federations and sports bodies seemingly fell on deaf ears, and though Mbalula claimed he could not meddle in internal turmoil for fear of federations being suspended by international organisations, no such concerns had prevented him from setting up an inquiry into the CSA controversy.

Perhaps his most habitual call for criticism was his repeated insistence on trying to enforce national quotas, though he again used his turnover tactics by claiming his department was setting “targets”, not “quotas”, which nonetheless resulted in tense debates across the country.

To his credit, Mbalula did ultimately push stunted transformation programmes forward in a sweeping move when he launched the EPG, which resulted in the suspension of four national federations from bidding for major international events last year after they failed to reach various targets in line with long-term goals.

With the next EPG report expected to be released next month, Nxesi will have a chance to establish his stance on the matter, and he could have a controversial start to his campaign if the EPG recommends that national federations be subjected to further sanctions.

Mbalula will be remembered for the things he said, more so than the things he did, and his inability to launch successful development sport programmes across the country, along with his failure to save the Durban bid for the 2022 Commonwealth Games, will leave nasty stains on his tenure.

Loud, snappy and always late, Mbalula left his mark, but his legacy may last only as long as his shotgun words and fiery wit are recalled.

As explosive as he was in his speeches, he may have done better for our sport with a little more action and lot a less talking.