Cymru and Africa (pt.10) – South Africa
Part 10 in our blog series exploring links between Cymru and members of the Confederation of African Football. Previous blogs have visited:
- pt. 9 – Zambia, Guinea-Bissau and Congo
- pt. 8 – Algeria, Burundi, Tanzania & Ethiopia
- pt. 7 – Angola, Benin and Uganda
- pt. 6 – Gabon and Sierra Leone
- pt. 5 – Morocco
- pt. 4 – Zimbabwe, Guinea and Eritrea
- pt. 3 – Gambia and Egypt
- pt. 2 – AFCON23 hosts and champions Côte D’Ivoire
- pt. 1 – Tunisia
This part focuses exclusively on the Bafana Bafana who finished in third place at AFCON23.
David Murray was one of the first South Africans to play professionally in England. After a career in the domestic leagues of Cape Town and Western Province, Murray was signed by Everton and later enjoyed a modest career with Bristol City, Bristol Rovers, Swindon and Rochdale, and for a short period in 1933, Bangor City. He later settled in Jersey where he played an instrumental role in Elie Hurel becoming the first Channel Islander to play in the First Division. Incidentally, this article is written by Rob Sawyer who joined us for episode 164 in which he selected an Everton Wales XI.
Paul Evans was born in Natal to Welsh parents and won honours at under 23 and full level for the Bafana Bafana. He came through the collegiate system in South Africa where he was spotted by Leeds United scouts who already had decent connections in the Cape from signing the likes of Lucas Radebe and Phil Masinga.
Evans was largely third choice behind the likes of John Lukic and Nigel Martyn and was loaned to Crystal Palace and Bradford without ever playing. He returned to South Africa but returned to England again when Huddersfield signed Evans on a free, before he moved on to Sheffield Wednesday and then Rushden and Diamonds where Evans made rare EFL appearances. He ended his club career at Bala Town.
Caernarfon-born Bryan Orritt was a Wales u23 international who was on the fringe of full honours in the early 1960s as a Birmingham player.
After youth football at Llanfair PG he signed for Bangor City before moving to St Andrews where he made his debut in club legend Gil Merrick’s final game for the Blues. He played against Barcelona in the first leg of the 1960 Fairs Cup final – the first Welshman to play in a European final – and played in both legs of the final against Roma the following season, scoring in the first leg (Welshmen Jimmy Singer and Terry Hennessey also figured over the course of the tie).
In 1962 Orritt signed for Middlesborough, for whom he holds the milestone of being their first ever substitute, and four years later emigrated to South Africa where he continued to play for clubs in Durban, Johannesburg and Pretoria. While playing, Orritt defied the Apartheid rules by coaching young black players in the townships. He died in a care home in Johannesburg in 2014 aged 77.
Think of a South African football team. Go on.
Bet you thought of Kaizer Chiefs. Well, there’s a Welsh connection to why that Johannesburg club is so called. Back in the late 1960s after Caersws-born Phil Woosnam was enticed to Atlanta to play and head up the new Chiefs team in the city, with his compatriot Vics, Crowe and Rouse, alongside him he scoured southern Africa for cheap talent to add to his playing roster.
One of the players signed by Woosnam, who, like Orritt, was a hugely respected coach of young players from disadvantaged backgrounds, was Kaizer “Chincha Guluva” Motaung. From Soweto and already playing professionally in South Africa, Motaung impressed sufficiently at trials in Zambia to be signed for the Chiefs. Despite injuries early on he was later named Rookie of the Year. He returned two years later to South Africa and set up his own club: Kaizer Chiefs.
If he hadn’t have impressed a Welshman in 1968 would the club even exist today?
Cymru has never played South Africa in a full men’s international but on three occasions the Wales Amateur team has faced a touring South African team. The South African FA was very loyal to the Home Nation FAs during the 1920s and 30s when they refused to join FIFA. The SAFA pressed to become an affiliate of the FA and even called for a ‘Dominions’, or Commonwealth, football association that might even have rivalled FIFA. The South Africans hoped that Commonwealth nation members of FIFA could be persuaded to join. They also invited the Home Nation FAs to tour South Africa with a rugby-style Great Britain team. The idea was declined.
On the field, the close relationship is seen in the tours of Britain and Ireland that the SAFA undertook. One such tour, in August-December 1924, also took in The Netherlands and comprised 26 matches. On 4 October at Colwyn Bay’s Parc Eirias Wales Amateurs triumphed 1-0, with Marine’s Robert Idwal Davies, who had made his full international debut the previous year, scoring the winning goal. Davies later emigrated to South Africa where he eventually died in Durban in 1980. The South Africans returned on 22 November to Colwyn Bay to face a Welsh League XI, this time winning 4-2.
In 1953, South Africa again travelled to north Wales where at Bangor they again faced a Wales Amateur XI. Under the captaincy of Lovells’ Idwal Robling, who later became a well-known commentator, Wales again won 1-0 with Phil Woosnam scoring the winner. Woosnam was studying Physics at the city’s university at the time.
In 1958, again at Bangor, South Africa broke their duck by winning 3-1.
Before these matches, notice deserves to be paid to the 1899 touring from Bloemfontein in the Orange Free State. Composed of 16 black South Africans, playing under the auspices of the whites-only Orange Free State Football Association, it is the first ever South African football team to tour abroad. In its four-month tour the team played 49 matches against opposition in England, France, Ireland, Scotland and Wales including matches against Wrexham on 11 November losing 4-5; against Druids on 15 November losing 3-4; and against Aberdare on 2 January 1900 losing 3-7.
Stephen Madi Mokone was the first black South African to play professionally abroad when he signed for Coventry City. He departed for Heracles in The Netherlands – the first foreign professional player in Dutch football – before returning to Britain and signing for Cardiff City. He scored on his debut against Liverpool in 1959 but after only 3 appearances was on the move again to Barcelona. Later played in France, Italy, Canada and Australia but was barred due to his colour from playing for the official South Africa side. He did however play for a South Africa Black XI on several occasions in a 16 year ‘international’ career.
Kagisho Dikgacoi spent a modest couple of seasons at Cardiff City between 2014 and 2016, having started his footballing journey with another Cardiff side: South African junior side, Cardiff Spurs. Won 54 caps for the Bafana Bafana and was part of their 2008 and 2013 AFCOBN squads, as well as the 2009 Confederations Cup and 2010 World Cup.
Reuben Motloung spent time at Caersws in the mid 2000s after signing from the American junior colleghiate system.
