Vrystaat !!!!

Cobus Claassen, Beeld


Johannesburg - Tshepo Legodi, who set tongues wagging when he proudly wore the old South African flag to support the Springboks at Twickenham last November, says he did it "for unity". But, he wasn't even aware until recently that his action had caused a bit of a rumpus.

The large number of old South African flags that were displayed at the two Bok tests in London against England, on November 18 and 25, was hotly debated locally. A group of supporters at the ground swore at Bok captain John Smit when he refused to sign his name on the old flag. A reader's photo of a black man supporting the Boks with an old flag draped around his shoulders, caused a bit of a sensation.

Legodi, 26, who hails from Pretoria and has been working in London for the past seven years, told Die Burger that he only realised recently that a photo of him with the flag had appeared in South Africa. "A friend came to visit in December and he brought along a newspaper with the photo in it. I was very surprised when I saw the photo and the report." Legodi said he decided to display the old flag to show that he accepted what happened in the past, and had moved on. "You could say that I did it for unity. I don't carry a chip (on his shoulder) and I don't dwell on the past. I think that if people reach a point where they can accept the past, it will no longer be able to cause hurt. The apartheid years were bad, but I'm not going to pretend it never happened. The old flag is part of my history, too. What are we going to tell our grandchildren one day? I'd like to be able to show them that I've moved on."

Legodi, a business consultant, said he visited his parents in Polokwane every year, and will always be a "proud South African". He thought most of the Bok supporters were surprised to see him with the old flag at Twickenham. "I think most of them saw the humour in it. And, why not? I think South Africans should take care not to be overly sensitive. The old flag, in its day, represented the entire South Africa and not everyone was racist, by any means. They were proud South Africans, who are now just as proud of their new flag."

Will he take his old South African flag along to Twickenham again? "Yes. I actually had both flags there. A black man with the old flag and the new flag - what better symbol of unity can there be?"