South Africa’s minister of sports, arts and culture Nathi Mthethwa had come under fire from members of the public and scores of soccer lovers booed the minister when he showed up at the OR Tambo Airport yesterday, July 26, to welcome members of the South African female football team, Bayana Bayana. The team had won…
South Africa’s minister of sports, arts and culture Nathi Mthethwa had come under fire from members of the public and scores of soccer lovers booed the minister when he showed up at the OR Tambo Airport yesterday, July 26, to welcome members of the South African female football team, Bayana Bayana.
The team had won the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) and was returning home to a rousing welcome. The minister was just as excited to see the team back. But how he chooses to welcome them was a source of controversy.
At the airport, the minister was booed, with many South Africans calling on him to give the athletes money. They cited the millions the minister had budgeted for a mere flag and wondered why he hadn’t splurged a similar sum on the athletes, who emerged victorious at the end of the WAFCON final.
Speaking about the triumph of the female team, the minister had promised equal pay for both the male and female football teams. Some of his critics were not impressed with that anyway, and they urged him to give the female team the money he would have used to erect the flag.
