Editor’s Note: This is a guest post from Prisha Bhoola who you can find at www.soulfood101.wordpress.com.
“I must say now, and clearly, that I am of the South Africa of Verwoerd and apartheid … a nation which is the result of an African graft on European stock and which is the product of its instinct and ability to maintain civilised values and standards amongst the alien barbarians … The African may well believe in witchcraft and primitive magic, practise ritual murder and polygamy; his wealth is in cattle. More money and he will have no sense of parental or individual responsibility, no understanding of reverence for life or the human soul which is the basis of Christian and other civilised societies. … A good deal of nonsense is talked of, and indeed thought about ‘segregation’. Segregation of one kind or another is practised everywhere in the world.”
These are the words of South Africa’s greatest sporting icon – Gary Player, and these words are contained in his 1966 book called Grand Slam Golf.
So, as a non-white South African, I approached brunch with Gary Player at the Emirates Golf Club, with some reservations. Nevertheless, I reminded myself that we are in the new South Africa. We just completed our fourth democratic elections, for goodness sake! One that even I, as an expat, was able to participate in!
My first impression of the “Black Knight” was that he looked remarkably good for 73. In fact, he would put most 40 years olds to shame! Although I’ve heard that he is a massive fitness fanatic, seeing him, really cemented the importance of a good diet and exercise.
Dubai is largely a world of false egos, materialism and inflated self-esteems. Another surprise: here was the most successful international golfer of all time and he was humbly posing for photographs, politely signing autographs and even chatting to the waiters and staff of the country club.
Then, Gary Player started his speech. “Its time to go back to basics,” he said assertively. With much emotion and subtle aggression, the audience (made up mainly of South African expats) was enlightened on the virtues of respect for people, respect for time and even the benefits of a vegetarian diet. Then came the moving bits. “I am blessed to come from South Africa! It’s the best piece of real estate in the world,” he exclaimed to rousing applause. “And I’m most positive about our nation. This election has proved that we are a bunch of winners. Remember, in life – always be positive. We all have a part to play in our country.”
To my great amazement, I found myself inspired by the man. So, his beliefs were a bit screwed up in his 30’s, but now, as a 73 year old, his attitude towards apartheid and indeed equality is very different. His charity work over the years and millions spent on development work speaks volumes. So, I’ve decided to leave the past exactly where it belongs and appreciate present day South Africans for who they are. Indeed, we are a remarkable, resilient bunch. So cheers to Gary Player and other South African greats!
I’ll leave you with his words: “I’ve hit more golf balls than any other player in history. There’s only one man who might surpass me and that’s Vijay Singh. But he has to live a long time to do that – because I’m just getting warmed up!”
Similar Posts:
Popularity: 9% [?]
May 21st, 2009 at 9:00 am
It’s so true. We can’t dwell on the past and keep people imprisoned by their past actions. We need to forgive and move on – it’s called personal growth. Every single one of us have a role to play in making this country all it can be. Stop shifting blame. Stop waiting for someone else to get their hands dirty and make things better for you. It starts with YOU. And for you to be able to do this you need a kick-ass-positive-attitude!
May 29th, 2009 at 12:41 pm
Very interesting read, I think their would be a lot of mixed opinions on this. Love the theme that you are using, what is it?
June 1st, 2009 at 12:17 pm
Prisha Bhoola and Garry,
You english speakers never fail to amuse me with your sly remarks about Verwoerd while meastime back at the ranch, you englishspeakers never moved a finger to uplift any of these black savages that ran around naked in the bush! Now, you englishspeakers were the ones who took from them as well as from the Afrikaner whatever you wanted and now sing you “holier than thou” songs as if you were never part of any racial hatred!
L:et’s get a couple of facts straight:
1. These balcks never stop stealing.
2. These blacks never stop killing.
3. These blacks never stop lying.
4. These blacks never stop raping.
5. These blacks never stop being corrupt.
6. Apartheid was started under brittish rule ( the brittish are english speakers just like the cursed americans and cursed ausies etc. and are just as sly! )
7. It was Afrikaners who made humans out of these black savages by putting their primative languages to book, teaching them to read and write, teaching them personal hygene so they don’t all die out because of disease, who created and trained teachers so they can uplift themselves, and at the end, again it was the Afrikaners who gave them a chance to prove to the world ( as well as to themselves and the sly englishspeakers of this world!) that Ian Smith was a prophet when saying they won’t be able to rule themselves in a thousand years!
One of the most amaizing things about africa is the fact that “players” are always being placed on some “hight” while “thinkers” like me, Verwoerd and Ian Smith, are always treated as dirt even while the facts of things happening around us right now, proof the “thinkers” to be far supreme to the “players”!!!!
I chalenge you false englishspeakers to carry on singing your “holy songs” and to keep on “being positive” until kingdom come – Mugabe will still be an idiot and Zuma will still be stealing and raping while the savages, the brainless masses..; “the majority who can’t be wrong”, will keep those dictator-kind of fools in power!
I am a true “rockspider” and would much rather stay that than becomming one of you false englishspeaking gamepalying non-thinking rockheads!
June 11th, 2009 at 8:01 am
I dunno. Gary Player has always left me feeling queasy. There can be no doubt at all that during the Apartheid years he was an out and out racist that spent a lot of time and money supporting the system. Of course, when democracy came, he didn’t look so good (but still took a hell of a long time to “think differently”). The fact that he now does think differently- to what extent is something still debatable – is of course better than no movement at all. This, is the point of the post – and it is also a point that this is probably true for a whole lot of white South Africans. Thankfully – otherwise we would all be in the same emotional stew as Dirk Muller above.
June 15th, 2009 at 12:02 pm
Dear Dirk,
First of all – I am not an “englishspeaker” as you put it. I am Indian – South African, Indian. Secondly, the “sly remarks about Verwoed” were not made by me – it was a direct quote from Gary Player’s book.
The point of my post is that whatever the past, whatever the attitude under apartheid – we ARE in the new South Africa now. I shall continue to think that people like Gary Player have changed for the better so that we can all move on in non-racial, democratic and multi-cultural society. I urge you to do the same. Else, you will be left wallowing while the rest of the country moves full steam ahead – as one!
June 24th, 2009 at 11:53 pm
Prisha,
What else is Garry Player than a foolish english speaker? You think he was to the right…wrong h was and still is a leftwing fool!
And, Prisha, being an indian, chances are good you believe the lies of some muhamed but GOD says in His Word called the Bible : Ecc. 10:2 A wise man’s heart directs him towards the right, but a foolish man’s heart directs him toward the left.
and Hell’s Teeth, i don’t think your words have any teeth! You sound more like another typical english speaking coward with his head in the sand! So, concider yourself in hell not your teeth!
The fact that you use frases like “a whole lot of” makles it clear you are one of the typical englishspeaking idiots that believe in “democracy”!?!?! Since when can the brainless stupid masses be right? Did it ever occur to you that the Einsteins and Bach’s etc. are the minority! Obviously the minorty are the thinking ones…not the branless masses!
B.t.w. something you surely did not know…african’s have a gneral IQ of only 70…that makes them just-just more intelectual than a killer whale! Can you now see why mugabe, mandela, zuma, you name it, and the rest of africa will forever act like retards? THEY ARE RETARDS and any thinking person know that retards can’t run a houshold…not to mention a country!
Can’t wait to hear from more english speaking idiots…I want to rub your noses in your own shit as you move forward “as one” towards hell! With savages like these africans out of their cages, this country is on it’s way becommi9ng a hell..mandela’s de klerk’s and the englishspeaker’s paradise will NEVER come to pass! – show me on country in africa rules by africans that did not turn into a hellhole…please…if you can find one as an example, maybe it will give me hope!
June 25th, 2009 at 12:20 am
My dear and loving honoralble Prisha Bhoola,
Please tell me, is because of racism that you are so quick to tell me you are an indian?
The south africa that you and the englishspeaskers are hoping for is one where everybody becomes a nothing….some grey thing like those who come over the borders from mosambique…did you se those grey people from over there? They look sick….because their parents were sick to mix with all kinds of breads ond now they are pvement specials…is that what you hope to become? Is that what you hope your children will become if the blacks don’t kill and rape them of cource..
To whom it may concern….nobody worth his breathe will forget where he/she comes from…not you indians, not the so called “brittish” or “the english” as these nose in the air people like to refer to themselves and also won’t the xhosa or zulu or Afrikaners or any other human who think something of him/herself be willing to become a grey sick looking nothing….so stop bullshitting!
June 25th, 2009 at 9:46 am
Dirk. You’re a racist and there is no place in our country for people like you.
Where do you get this statistic: “african’s have a gneral IQ of only 70″? How about a reference or source with that rubbish that you splatter?
You are lucky that I have haven’t deleted your slanderous derogatory rubbish but I think that your own comments do enough to make you look stupid. So they can stay up.
June 25th, 2009 at 10:06 am
Sad, Dirk Muller, that such archaic beliefs must still perpetuate the evil of racism. Allow me, Nic, to preach!
Racists are those people who destroy not the old, archaic and dangerous structures of spurious beliefs, but – actually – the modern. They destroy new cross-cultural relationships and severely strain the development of mutual trust between different groupings of people. They stir anger amongst the impressionable – existing stereotypes are strengthened, spreading doubt and apprehension.
It is not necessary to provide detail explanations of the destruction, pain, bloodshed and carnage caused by racism – these are obvious enough when one page through any history book. It soon becomes evident that in almost every society, race and racism make angry contusions and deep wounds in the body politic. Racists are those people who use every means necessary through violence, power and religion to perpetuate the destruction on both macro and micro levels, and to enforce their stereotypical view and bigotry upon society. Dirk Muller’s comments make this point lugubriously clear.
Racism refers to a belief system that a particular group of people is inherently superior to another, which in turn would then be inferior. The distinction between the separate groups is based on superficial factors such as skin colour, origin, culture, religion and behaviour. The superior group wants to be treated differently to the inferior group, and to rule over the latter. Racism is deeply rooted in historical, cultural, social and power concerns and almost always involves widespread oppression of people and the prevention of basic human rights and opportunities. To me these are beliefs of fundamentalists, making them no better than any other person who commits atrocities in the name of some belief system or another.
There are two major concepts at work here:
1. prejudice, and
2. stereotyping.
Stereotyping refers to the fact that people, over an extended period of time, perhaps even centuries, developed (distorted) notions about certain groups or peoples – for example: all Swedes are blond, all blonds are dumb, or all South Africans are bloodthirsty. The big concern with stereotyping is that it sometimes indeed reflects a certain measure of truth, but not in all instances. It is rooted mostly in gross generalisations. When we act prejudicial, we grip tightly unto the stereotype, and do not allow the other persons to proof themselves. In “The New History of South Africa,” Giliomee and Mbenga use the following example to illustrate this point: early in the previous century Afrikaans children did exceptionally bad academically in comparison to English children and even perform worse in IQ tests. The stereotype that developed from this was that all Afrikaners were aphonic and stupid. Remember the time when Afrikaners were called “rock spiders”! Less than 30 years later, the Afrikaners caught up. They have freed themselves from the shackles of poverty, entered into better schools, and gained exposure to the media. When one now continues to view the Afrikaner as stupid and restarted, and treat them as such, that is prejudice (although, arguably, as we see, there are probably still some deserving of the label).
Where do they come from if we are ostensibly not part of the creation of these stereotypes and prejudices in the first place? In the field of behaviour psychology it is commonly accepted that racism is a learned behaviour. Everything indicates that it is established in pre-school years. Between the ages of 3 and 6, where normal cognitive development is taking place, a child begins to distinguish between boy and girl, man and women – and white and black. Stereotypes are also created to assist the child in ordering the external world more simplistically, and to manage his/her frame of reference in their ever-expanding view of the world. We all know these stereotypes: girls wear pink and boys wear blue, mommy is soft and daddy is tough, America is good and Russia is bad, etcetera, etcetera. When the process of categorizing and stereotyping merge with a context whereby a certain group of the population is typified – through formal legislation, or informally through people’s reactions and behaviours towards this group of the population – as “lazy”, “murderous”, “oppressive”, “dishonest”, “inferior”, “retards” and the like, racism and prejudices are created very quickly.
In the end we each have to ask ourselves regularly: Why is it necessary for me to act racist? Do I feel threatened, angry or am I just ignorant and uninformed? Racism will end when individuals see others only in individual terms. There is significant moral in what John F Kennedy said: “There are no ‘white’ or ‘coloured’ signs on the graveyards of battle.”
Dirk Muller, you are just simply so wrong on so many levels. Am I a moralist? In this case, definately yes!
June 25th, 2009 at 10:18 am
As someone who speaks English I’m deeply offended by Dirk’s inability to spell properly. If he’s going to insult me, as an English Speaker, he should at least have the decency to run it through Spell Check first..
June 25th, 2009 at 10:33 am
According to Dirkie: “What else is Garry Player than a foolish english speaker?”
My word. Please do not take this dude seriously. He also appears to be a religious fanatic, judging by his web site.
Prisha, I have a lot of respect for Gary Player’s accomplishments as a golf player (and as a businessman), but the fact remains that he took full advantage of the system at the time. One example, he featured in some Sanlam adverts (on phonebooks), if I’m not mistaken.
June 25th, 2009 at 11:14 am
dirk
i are verrrie much afrikaans and my confidence in the country that i love gets reaffirmed when i read posts like these.
unfortunately, gross generalisations such as the laundry list you slapped together causes stagnation in making amends and sa becoming a good example of diversity and democracy (which is very possible).
if what you say could be considered as truth, then by the same stereotypical token all afrikaans people are stupid, smash-beer-against-head dutchmen, only concerned with ‘die volk’ and a deep yearning for ‘yesteryear’. hierdie is beslis nie die geval nie.
almal het die reg om te kla, maar as jy nie iets daaromtrent doen nie raak jy ook maar net deel van die probleem. as sa dan so ‘n vreesaanjaende plek is vir jou, hoekom is jy nog hier? en as jy klaar uit die land uit is, hoekom gee jy om?
your negativity and fear mongering only contributes to the problem, and, along with thousands of other south africans, i live with the mindset of a country that’s concerned about solutions for tomorrow, not obsessed about a ‘what could have been’ past.
if you are a shining example of an ‘afrikaner’, then consider myself english.
June 25th, 2009 at 12:36 pm
Hey Dirk,
35 Years ago, I did not understand what the fuss is about
30 Years ago, I was scared of you
25 Years ago, I believed that you were the evil enemy
20 Years ago, I was been angry at you
15 Years ago, I forgave you
10 Years ago, I thought you had learned from us
5 Years ago, I learned from you
Today, I am just sad for you.
Ubuntu, my brother!
June 25th, 2009 at 1:10 pm
Haha, nice one Nic!
June 25th, 2009 at 2:50 pm
i like dirk
he is obviously saying this just to test our gullibility. it is inconceivable that such a backwater type of opinion could have crossed the digital divide.
Dirk. When I am president, I will make you Minister of Apartheid. It will be your responsibility to weed out all the unfortunate people with un-evolved thinking patterns (black white or burgundy, and empower them to think straight.
tell them: “To keep a man in a hole you have to be in the hole with him.”
that should help them understand their predicament.
now, listen to some good music and imagine the possibilities available to a species that is now almost fully in control of its evolution.
d-_-b.
June 26th, 2009 at 11:38 am
Firstly to everyone responding to Dirk: Please use smaller words, he will not understand otherwise.
I’m posting my response to Dirk in his (and my own) mother tongue in the hope that he understands better.
Dirk: Jy is die tipe persoon wat die hele afrikaanssprekende bevolking skaam maak om afrikaans te wees. Jy gebruik die bybel om rasistiese aanmerkings te staaf. Wat het gebeur van liefde en vegifnis?
As a young Afrikaans guy I would like to apologize for Dirk, and reiterate the fact that we are not all like this.
Thanks for wasting my time Dirk, your bill is in the post.
July 18th, 2010 at 8:22 pm
Hi,
I migrated to SA from Zambia, 15 years ago, completely confused. Yes had lots of racist experiences – i am not white – at Wits some white guys complained of having to sit in a queue in the new Black SA; In kroonstad, some white dudes refused to shake hands – but on the whole nothing serious.
On the contrary, the help I have received, remember I came with no money in pocket (my father had diswoned me), I was given a job by an Indian, a Jewish lawyer helpde dme fill my immigration application (for Free!), an Afrikanner (did noeven know there was a difference between english and afrikaans people – they were all white for me), helped me at University get an admission and pass my exams. Now I am so called Professional, earning over R2m a year, and have spent time in 5-6 countries, working across the glbe, had two kids, both born in SA, and can honestly say from yo personal experience, that SA is one of the least racit countries in the world. I love the frank discussion, like the one above because more than anything else, it reflects the tolerance we have developed, atleast we can hear all such inflamatory comments and rationally respond to these, in my own mind this is the Victory of SA.
And Dirk, i dont blame you, often when we suffer from adverse circumstances, we look to blame others, and the easiest to blame are the ones who we have some prejudice against. Believe me, the same type of people exist as Blacks, Indians, Whites, Coloreds etc. Just like there are black theives so there are Afrikaans crooks and Indian crooks – so be happy with who you are, and your life would be better.
July 18th, 2010 at 8:27 pm
apologies for spell errors, rushing to catch a flight. chill people!
July 18th, 2010 at 10:17 pm
How Gary Player benefitted from apartheid
Apartheid’s forgotten victim
Papwa Sewgolum, an illiterate native of Durban, may have been the best golfer his country ever produced. But South Africa’s apartheid government made sure he couldn’t compete.
James Bagnall, The Ottawa Citizen
Published:*Saturday, November 15, 2008
DURBAN, South Africa- On the eve of his first major golf victory last April, Trevor Immelman listened intently to an unexpected voicemail. It gave him goosebumps. His fellow countryman, hero and golf legend Gary Player, now 73, had called to exhort Mr. Immelman to believe in himself.
Mr. Immelman, 28, has a treasured photograph of himself as a child atop Mr. Player’s shoulders. As he played the fourth round of the Masters tournament in Augusta, Georgia, Mr. Immelman replayed his mentor’s words at key moments. He steadied himself enough to win by three strokes over Tiger Woods, becoming the first South African to win the Masters since 1978, when Mr. Player last managed the feat.
With the victory, Mr. Immelman joined Mr. Player, Retief Goosen, Ernie Els and Bobby Locke in an exclusive club. They are the only South Africans to have won a major.
Only Mr. Player among them has won all four of golf’s major tournaments, which include the Masters, the British Open, the U.S. Open and the PGA Championship. Mr. Player’s website declares that he is “the most successful international golfer of all time.” But there is something extravagant about Mr. Player’s self-promotion, and not just because U.S. stars such as Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus have won more majors.
His claim of supremacy outside the U.S. must also be qualified. Mr. Immelman, who was 14 the year apartheid ended, is too young to appreciate why.
During the prime of Mr. Player’s career there was another South African who was his equal on the links, who defeated him in 1965 at a sensational provincial open championship in Durban and who won several European championships. Papwa Sewgolum was the great-grandson of an indentured labourer from India, an impoverished illiterate who possessed prodigious amounts of raw talent. Had he been permitted by the apartheid regime to play the game at the same level, with similar advantages as Mr. Player and other white golfers, there is no telling what he might have accomplished.
Mr. Sewgolum could have left his home in Durban’s suburbs to play professional golf overseas, where racism was less overt. But he was a sweet, simple man who hated travelling. His life and career thus became portraits of the evil apartheid did. The regime crushed him bit by bit, in a myriad of ways. And it happened while Mr. Player golfed with prime minister Johannes Vorster, the symbol of everything apartheid represented.
n
“I’ve got no bitterness toward Gary Player,” says Rajen Sewgolum, one of five Sewgolum children, and the only one who took up golf. “I look at him and my father as two of South Africa’s greatest golfers.”
Rajen is the keeper of his father’s flame. He participated three years ago in a one-hour documentary on Papwa’s life and is working on a book aimed at righting the injustices done. Rajen is also helping out with a proposed movie — two South Africa productions are currently underway.
Rajen, a part-time lecturer at the Durban University of Technology, recently won a bid to manage the Windsor Golf Course, just north of the city core. It needs a lot of work. The fairways are patchy and the clubhouse requires refurbishing. Five or six black caddies are hanging out by the first tee, waiting for their first job of the day.
The course is a few kilometres north of the Durban Country Club, the city’s most prestigious golf club and scene of his father’s greatest triumph and most bitter humiliation under apartheid.
Rajen has a 2 handicap, which means he shoots close to par. His son, Nisharlan, is better. Nisharlan is one of a small handful of non-white teaching professionals with accreditation from the Professional Golf Association. Nisharlan hopes soon to win his playing card, allowing him to compete in PGA events. But this is expensive business, one of the reasons the sport remains such an overwhelmingly white occupation.
Things were much tougher for Papwa. He lost his father, a city labourer, at age 10. To help out with the family finances, Papwa became a caddy in the late 1930s at the nearby Beachwood golf course, now part of the Durban Country Club.
See VICTORY on PAGE B2
Victory to humiliation,
with astonishing speed
Continued from page B1
He was not permitted to play because it was a whites-only club. Long before the Afrikaner-dominated National Party won power in 1948 and implemented apartheid, racism was already well entrenched. Indians and blacks were often limited to their own, poorly maintained courses. Occasionally they could play the better courses, when whites weren’t there.
Nevertheless, Mr. Sewgolum became renowned for his skill around the green, the key to scoring low. His accuracy from 100 metres or less was remarkable, allowing him often to score in the 60s, well below par, when he was a teenager.
He acquired his skills in a very unusual way. Before he became a caddy, his mother sent him out regularly to search for fruit in the nearby bushes. Over the years, Mr. Sewgolum collected a few golf balls and clubs, tossed by frustrated white players from the adjoining course. At dawn, he would practice hitting. The straighter his shots, the less time he would have to spend looking for stray balls.
Because he taught himself, he had no idea that he gripped the club in a completely unorthodox fashion, by putting his left hand below the right. For a right-handed player, the physics of this arrangement demands a very peculiar swing. In order to get sufficient speed on the club head by the time it hits the ball, Mr. Sewgolum would have to swivel his hips much earlier during his downswing.
The impression he created was one of immense extra effort, in sharp contrast to the smooth, ballet-like movements of the best golfers using a conventional grip.
But no matter how skilled he became, Mr. Sewgolum would go nowhere in his chosen sport without a white sponsor. He found one in Graham Wulff, the owner of a Durban chemical plant and member of Beachwood Golf Club.
Chris Nicholson, an author and High Court judge, describes the encounter in a 2005 biography, Papwa Sewgolum: From Pariah to Legend. One of Mr. Wulff’s playing companions asked Mr. Sewgolum for advice about which club to use. When the shot fell short of the green, he berated the caddy and asked him to explain his club selection. Mr. Sewgolum accepted the proffered club, addressed a second ball, and struck it firmly to within four feet of the hole.
In subsequent rounds, Mr. Wulff asked the caddy master for Mr. Sewgolum. Whenever other members were out of sight, Mr. Wulff encouraged his caddy to play along. He was deeply impressed by Mr. Sewgolum’s talent.
In 1956, Mr. Wulff hired Mr. Sewgolum, 28 at the time, to install bottle caps at his chemical factory, which manufactured his invention, Oil of Olay. He paid his protegé $40 per month, a respectable sum in those days, and gave him lots of time off to practice golf.
Mr. Wulff was keen to see Mr. Sewgolum compete against the best, but South Africa’s Group Areas Act prohibited the mixing of races in sports.
There was another problem. He learned that even if he wanted to accompany Mr. Sewgolum to an overseas competition, the authorities wouldn’t permit them to fly together commercially.
Mr. Wulff was tall and confident, easily recognizable with his thick moustache and good looks. He was also a decent man, frequently bothered by the racial inequities around him.
In 1959, he purchased a four-seat Piper Twin aircraft and flew Mr. Sewgolum privately to Britain so he could compete for a spot in the British Open. It was Mr. Sewgolum’s first trip outside Durban. Mr. Wulff found, to his surpise, that he had to teach his caddy how to use cutlery and bathroom faucets and to wash his clothes. He also taught Mr. Sewgolum how to sign his own name.
At Britain’s Muirfield course, Mr. Sewgolum played his first practice round against Mr. Player, shooting a 70 to Mr. Player’s 78. But after qualifying for the tournament, Mr. Sewgolum shot a first-round 79, leaving him too much ground to make up. He missed the cut after the second day of play.
At the time, the performance was blamed on Mr. Sewgolum’s unfamiliarity with travel, not to mention homesickness. But the first-day jitters may have had another cause: it’s known that Mr. Sewgolum was interviewed at length prior to tee off at a British Open by South Africa’s secret police. But whether it was the 1959 contest or a subsequent Open is unclear.
Mr. Player, 23, won the tournament, his first major. He had been playing golf for only seven or eight years, but everyone was astonished at how quickly he took to the game. His father, Harry, a mining manager, enrolled him as a member at the Virginia Park golf course near Johannesburg. Within 16 months, his son was shooting par.
Unlike Mr. Sewgolum, Mr. Player could play in white tournaments for decent stakes. A second-place finish in a 1955 tournament gave him enough money to buy a car. Later, when Mr. Player pleaded with his father to let him play internationally, members at the club took up a collection. He had talent. Everyone could see that.
A few days after Mr. Player’s win at the British Open, Mr. Sewgolum demonstrated his potential by winning the Dutch Open. The victory made him a hero among Indians back home. Nor was the win a fluke. He successfully defended his title in 1960 and triumphed again in 1963.
In South Africa, he was winning non-white tournaments by extraordinary margins, 20 shots or more. But prize money for these contests was a pittance compared to the sums available in tournaments for whites.
Once in a while he was permitted to play against whites, usually whenever the government figured to win political points abroad by showing that apartheid wasn’t completely inflexible. Nevertheless, apartheid rules forced Mr. Sewgolum to endure many petty indignities.
In 1961, he gained entrance to the South African Open in East London. However, he was denied the right to practice on the course, giving white players an immediate advantage.
During the tournament, Mr. Sewgolum was not allowed to use the clubhouse or enter any facility where liquor was served. He changed into his golfing attire in his car and took his meals there too. None of this helped his state of mind. Mr. Sewgolum finished 16th.
Even when he defeated whites, victory could turn to humiliation with astonishing speed. Mr. Sewgolum won the 1963 Natal Open, played at the Durban Country Club. When rain began falling during the presentation of the trophy, white golfers and spectators retreated to the clubhouse — which Mr. Sewgolum was prohibited from entering. The moment was captured by Durban photographer Ranjith Kally and published worldwide.
Mr. Sewgolum and Mr. Player lamented the mingling of sport and politics. Each suffered in different ways for their country’s racist regime. While Mr. Sewgolum felt the full force of discrimination at home, Mr. Player was a target of anti-apartheid activists in most of the international tournaments he played in.
However, any sympathy he might have engendered was lost with the publication in 1966 of his first autobiography, Grand Slam Golf. In it, he acknowledged solidarity with South African prime minister Hendrik Verwoerd and apartheid. He wrote that blacks and whites should develop separately and that he saw no evidence he was living in a police state.
Much later in his career, after Nelson Mandela’s release from prison, Mr. Player published another autobiography in which he acknowledged that apartheid was “a terrible system,” and that he had been brainwashed. He added that is why he didn’t protest when Mr. Sewgolum was denied the right to compete in white tournaments in the 1960s — when their careers were at a peak.
n
There was a profound hunger, especially within the Indian community, to see the golf prodigies compete on home soil. It was finally satisfied at the Durban Country Club in 1965.
That was the year Mr. Player would complete his Grand Slam at age 29 by winning the U.S. Open. But in Durban, Mr. Sewgolum, 36, was the better player. He vanquished Mr. Player by one shot on the 72nd hole of the Natal Open.
Sadly, the victory proved the apogee of Mr. Sewgolum’s career. With the win, he showed that an impoverished Indian could defeat South Africa’s great white hope. This made him a marked man.
Security officials warned him to stop interfering in sports for whites. Mr. Sewgolum’s applications for permits to play in white tournaments were turned down more frequently. In Port Elizabeth, Mr. Swegolum and his manager, Fred Paul, had their lives threatened.
Not being able to play in white tournaments meant a tremendous loss of income for Mr. Sewgolum. In 1966, he earned the equivalent of roughly $5,000, including endorsement deals with Coca-Cola and Slazenger. Mr. Player earned $70,000 the previous year in the U.S. alone.
Then, a debilitating personal blow. In 1966, the suburb that contained his family’s home in Durban was declared a white area. Mr. Sewgolum moved with his wife Suminthra and four children out of his shack into a part of town reserved for Indians. There, he propped his golf clubs against the side of his bed.
Mr. Sewgolum continued playing golf, but the system had finally broken him. His skill was still obvious, but his heart, the drive, was not. He became depressed and drank more than was good for him. He died of a heart attack on July 5, 1978.
“Dad died at home,” says Rajen. “He was only 49.” Rajen, 46, has been a fitness buff since his late 30s. He has taken on the role of family historian. “I’m working on a book purely on the family’s feelings about the injustice that was done,” he says.
Three years ago, Rajen participated in a one-hour documentary produced by Joel Prince and directed by Rafiq Samsodien. The DVD contains rare footage of Papwa Sewgolum ‘s play in tournaments. Members of South Africa’s secret police have confirmed they were ordered to destroy video evidence of Mr. Sewgolum’s skills. It’s estimated just 5 per cent of the footage remains.
Mr. Samsodien and Mr. Prince, who are based in Cape Town, are working on a feature film about Mr. Sewgolum’s life. They are keeping many of the details to themselves, but expect to have a script ready soon, with a release in 2010. “If we do this right,” says Mr. Prince, “This has all the makings of a Best Foreign Film.”
He’s not the only one who believes this. David Selvan and Georgina Hamilton, an author and South African philanthropist, are co-producing a separate film project, based in part on Chris Nicholson’s book. Mr. Selvan is shopping a completed script in Hollywood. “This is a project I believe in deeply,” says Ms. Hamilton. “I want to see it get done.”
Three years ago, Rajen organized a charity tournament in memory of his father. The idea was to establish a foundation for young golfers from under-privileged backgrounds. Mr. Player accepted an invitation to play, and made donations. Rajen declined to give specifics, but others who attended said they were surprised at how little Mr. Player contributed — less than $15,000 — and the type of gifts involved. Many contained the Black Knight insignia of Mr. Player’s marketing company.
Mr. Player, who declined an interview request, has run a foundation since 1983. The entity, which operates under the Gary Player brand, holds events and donates the proceeds to poor children around the world.
Mr. Player has won admiration for his efforts. Nevertheless, his career will always be stained by the weak stance he took during apartheid. He seems never to have viewed Mr. Sewgolum’s predicament under apartheid as something he could have challenged.
Mr. Player failed to intercede on behalf of a sportsman whose raw talent at least matched his own. Had he at least tried, the world would view his many achievements in golf with greater equanimity. Because he did not, people will always wonder whether his fellow countryman, Papwa Sewgolum, was truly the superior talent.
August 15th, 2010 at 12:10 pm
Pay Obvious,through either people yeah much finish relative beat intend national bloody us street sum religious emerge recognition pub smile under nod characteristic other propose kind start instrument about open relief description protection narrow enough appropriate respect leave understand bottle civil such claim safe offer active prove face contact review district pull importance survive easily week murder him brief sure mark again broad none defendant settlement bridge judge play through examine feel private nevertheless tonight link exactly past take remind mass new with confirm former modern up mass panel
November 12th, 2010 at 9:31 pm
plastic bathroom faucets woud eaily break compared to bronze bathroom faucets ~-:
December 5th, 2010 at 5:36 am
I am very busy doing other projects. However, I have been reading the blogs. I’ll be back to edify those blind ones. Trust me.
January 11th, 2011 at 2:51 am
Hi there, You’ve done a great job. I’ll definitely digg it and personally recommend to my friends. I’m sure they’ll be benefited from this site.
January 24th, 2011 at 11:55 am
i was beginning to think that i would possibly end up being the only man whom cared about this, at least now i know i’m not crazy
i’ll be sure to see a number of various other posts right after i get some caffeine in me, adios for now 
January 26th, 2011 at 1:49 pm
I precisely needed to appreciate you once again. I am not sure the things that I might have handled in the absence of the entire pointers provided by you on such a problem. It has been a very frightening difficulty in my circumstances, however , looking at the skilled manner you processed that made me to jump over fulfillment. I am happier for this help and in addition hope that you know what a great job you are always getting into instructing others through the use of your site. I know that you have never encountered all of us.
March 1st, 2011 at 3:52 pm
I loved as much as you will receive carried out right here. The sketch is attractive, your authored subject matter stylish. nonetheless, you command get got an impatience over that you wish be delivering the following. unwell unquestionably come more formerly again since exactly the same nearly a lot often inside case you shield this hike.
April 25th, 2011 at 9:57 pm
Friends to discuss not solve anything there that solve problems with dialogue ..
Thanks
Kevin
April 30th, 2011 at 4:30 am
This is exactly what I am looking for. This I ask quality. The knowledge provided in this article is usually to the best. I have to say you need to have spent it slow in setting every one of these content collectively. They’re match with your product. I am going to advocate this to everyone and each one of my acquaintances. I will come back here to examine the quantity of deliver the results. Thank you for building this kind of transpire.
July 16th, 2011 at 11:14 pm
Simply passing some time in between class on Digg and I found your article. Not normally what I favor to read about, but it surely was well worth my time. Thanks.
July 16th, 2011 at 11:50 pm
Hey nice site, simply checking out some sites, appears a a very nice theme you are using. I’m presently using Drupal for a few of my sites but seeking to change one of them over to a theme very much like yours as a trial run.
August 26th, 2011 at 5:18 am
I think you’ll never stop! This is among the best blogs I have ever read. Brilliant.
September 8th, 2011 at 12:08 pm
I was privy to this particular formerly, nevertheless there have been several useful parts which accomplished the look in my experience, thanks!
November 12th, 2011 at 12:09 pm
I have been browsing online more than three hours these days, but I by no means found any interesting article like yours. It is lovely value enough for me. In my view, if all webmasters and bloggers made good content material as you probably did, the net will be much more useful than ever before.
December 6th, 2011 at 1:39 pm
interesting blog . It would be great if you can offer more contingents about it. Thanks you.
December 9th, 2011 at 1:06 am
I like this web site so significantly, bookmarked . 418203
December 13th, 2011 at 1:03 am
I would love to work with you if you don’t have your two people yet.
February 28th, 2012 at 12:48 pm
I recently came across your article and have been reading along. I want to express my admiration of your writing skill and ability to make readers read from the beginning to the end. I would like to read newer posts and to share my thoughts with you.
April 6th, 2012 at 10:18 pm
I delight in, result in I discovered exactly what I was having a look for. You have ended my 4 day lengthy hunt! God Bless you man. Have a nice day. Bye
April 13th, 2012 at 11:23 pm
I don’t even know how I stopped up right here, however I thought this publish used to be great. I don’t know who you might be but certainly you are going to a well-known blogger in case you aren’t already. Cheers!
May 25th, 2012 at 3:16 pm
Interesting article, with great content, I served much this great contribution to broaden my knowledge
thanks
June 29th, 2012 at 8:25 am
[url=http://www.christianlouboutinpasschere.com]Christian Louboutin[/url] pas cher boutique – jusqu’a 60% moins cher,Les fabricants vendent directement.Nous fournissons huckster le paradigm operating means le increased past latest et chaussures,Christian Louboutin’s trademark amicable red soles are an incontestable classify of character excellence. Since the set afloat of his good-looking eponymous business name in 1991,Escarpins [url=http://www.christianlouboutinpasschere.com]Louboutin[/url], [url=http://www.christianlouboutinpasschere.com]Louboutin pas cher[/url], Chaussures Louboutin de haute qualite & Pas Cher.
November 2nd, 2012 at 1:02 pm
Your style is very unique in comparison to other folks I have read stuff from.
I appreciate you for posting when you have the opportunity, Guess I will just bookmark this site.
March 14th, 2013 at 1:37 pm
I just like the helpful information you supply to your articles. I will bookmark your blog and test once more right here regularly. I am rather sure I will be told a lot of new stuff proper here! Best of luck for the following!
April 21st, 2013 at 6:16 am
Hey! I simply wish to give an enormous thumbs up for the nice data you may have here on this post.
I will probably be coming again to your blog for extra soon.
April 24th, 2013 at 11:20 pm
Najlepsze testy na http://twoj-test.pl !
April 24th, 2013 at 11:50 pm
She looked at [url=http://www.4dmv.com/toms.php]toms sale[/url] [url=http://www.4dmv.com/rayban.php]ray ban sunglasses sale[/url] also looked at her. Walking on the road, you can now count [url=http://www.4dmv.com/oakley.php]discount oakley sunglasses[/url] boyfriend? [url=http://www.4dmv.com/montblanc.php]mont blanc[/url] Antan heard, certainly replied: Yes. Li Yanling sigh: hesitated to say: Can you let [url=http://www.4dmv.com/lv.php]louis vuitton outlet store[/url] hug. louis vuitton outlet store Stood still, no matter what she mentioned requirements, louis vuitton outlet store will try to meet her, not to mention a hug. Li Yanling gently leaned over and put his head in louis vuitton outlet store the shoulders. Well, if it is still nice to yesterday, yesterday she also holds louis vuitton outlet store about louis vuitton outlet store how I felt so embarrassed it.