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The South African
25-06-2025
- Sport
- The South African
The boot and polish man who had a window into history
It's not a long way from Boksburg to Ellis Park, but for Robbie Schlemmer, 24 June 1995, was no ordinary trip. As the boot and change room manager for the Springboks, he was heading into a day that would change South African sport forever, one polished boot, one quiet checklist at a time. According to Clinton van der Berg, writing on his 'Got Game' website, Schlemmer remembers how he steered his trusty Toyota Corolla through the quiet, wintry streets of Johannesburg that morning. The city was still, but he felt the tension rising. At Ellis Park, South Africa's great rugby fortress, all was calm. He knew the day would be special. His job was simple in theory but meticulous in practice: set up the changeroom, make sure everything was perfect. Geyser on? Tick. Lights on? Tick. Clean and tidy? Tick. Soap? Tick. Toilet paper? Tick. Ice machine filled? Tick. Cold drinks and Castles? Tick. Snacks? Tick. Physio bed? Tick. Air conditioner? Tick. Then came the sacred ritual: unpacking the socks, shorts and green and gold Springbok jerseys, each laid out beneath a name tag, match programme balanced neatly on top. The balls had to be pumped to exact IRB specifications: 9.5 to 10 pounds per square inch. If any boots looked shabby, out came the polish and brush. The manne had to look sharp. Robbie Schlemmer began working at Ellis Park in the late 1980s after a friend asked him to help out. He earned R85 per Saturday before tax. 'The Transvaal players also got a koevertjie with their R800 match fee,' he recalls. The changeroom had its fair share of characters. The most intimidating? Louis Luyt. After a loss, he was fearsome. But not to Hennie le Roux, the team's sharp-tongued shop steward, and Luyt hated that. 'An insidious personality,' wrote Luyt of Le Roux in his autobiography. 'He turned out to be a true prima donna.' James Small, by contrast, was a 'great oke' who believed Schlemmer deserved more recognition. Big men like Kobus Wiese and Balie Swart treated him like gold. Wiese still messages him on his birthday. 'Johan Heunis was pure class, and Japie Mulder was always chirping, joking, smiling,' says Schlemmer. Francois Pienaar, the captain, even mentioned him in his autobiography Rainbow Warrior , calling Schlemmer 'my most loyal supporter'. Coach Kitch Christie once told him, only half-jokingly, that he was the Lions' lucky charm: 'They only lost twice when I was sick.' As the 1995 Rugby World Cup approached, it slowly dawned on Schlemmer that he might be involved. When he received his official accreditation as 'Change room manager,' it became real. That afternoon, he was busy seeing to the players' needs when a commotion broke out. He heard Nelson Mandela before he saw him. 'And then I knew, you could put your house on the Boks winning.' Mandela's arrival in the changeroom had been kept a state secret. Only security chief Rory Steyn knew. Even Doc Luyt had been kept mostly in the dark. Dressed in a Springbok cap and jersey with Pienaar's number six on the back, Madiba moved along the line, greeting every person. He paused to speak Afrikaans to a ball boy. His security detail urged him on, but Mandela took his time. He told the players not to win for him, or for themselves, but for their country. Pienaar followed with his own words about unity and opportunity. 'There was no way we could lose that day,' Schlemmer remembers. Small listened to UB40 on his Walkman. Mulder cracked nervous jokes. Pienaar bounced on his toes like a coiled spring. Transvaal tjommies – James Small and Schlemmer (Pic: Supplied) Robbie Schlemmer squeezed into a corner of the press box to watch the game. His nerves were frayed, but his belief never wavered. At half-time, he made sure the sandwiches were ready. After full-time, the Heinekens. The All Blacks, more reserved, asked for tea. Pandemonium followed the final whistle. Reporters, photographers, hangers-on poured into the changeroom. Schlemmer looked on with quiet pride. He later drank beer from the Webb Ellis Cup, part celebration, part tribute to the Transvaal core who had become world champions. When the Boks left for Gallagher Estate and the official dinner, Schlemmer stayed behind to clean up. In the All Blacks changeroom next door, he heard guitars: Josh Kronfeld and Zinzan Brooke strumming Maori songs, their defeat worn lightly. Schlemmer stayed on until 2003, working with the SA U20s who won their own title under Jake White. Players like Fourie du Preez, Jean de Villiers, Clyde Rathbone and the late Swys Swart passed through his care. And then it ended. The work dried up without explanation. Today, at 61, he works as a rep for a liquor company. He still loves his rugby – from a distance now – and has found new passion in boxing and MMA. Yesterday marked 30 years since that extraordinary afternoon. There was no private celebration. For Robbie Schlemmer, being there was enough. He doesn't need medals or headlines. He helped hold together the team behind the team, one checklist, one pair of polished boots, one quiet presence at a time. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
The Citizen
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Citizen
‘It's all about ubuntu': Fans celebrate with world champion Proteas
Supporters were given another opportunity to interact with the world Test champions. Hundreds of people arrived at Nelson Mandela Square on Thursday to meet the Proteas players. Picture: Michel Bega South Africa's latest sporting victory had special relevance for some, while others were just there to bask in national pride, with hundreds of fans turning up in Sandton on Thursday to welcome the Proteas team home. After securing the country's first major cricket title in 27 years, beating Australia to win the World Test Championship final last weekend, the Proteas squad returned to a lively reception at OR Tambo International on Wednesday. And Cricket South Africa invited fans to participate in an activation on Thursday which gave supporters another opportunity to interact with the Proteas players at Nelson Mandela Square. 'A special occasion' Abdul 'Jack' Manack, who played 50 matches for the former Transvaal team between 1983 and 1993 (including a game at Lord's), was disappointed not to return to the world-renowned ground to see the Proteas win last week. He turned out, however, to welcome the team home. 'What happened over the weekend was a special occasion,' Manack said. 'This is what we need in the country, to unite our country, to bring our country together. It's all about ubuntu, it's all about transformation.' Former cricketer Abdul Manack with Proteas player Kyle Verreynne. Picture: Michel Bega Rasta joins the celebration Well-known artist Lebani Sirenje, better known as Rasta, also shared his appreciation for what the SA cricket team had achieved. 'Congratulations to the Proteas. They have won it and made us proud, so we are here to celebrate them,' he said. Most of the Proteas players, perhaps tired following their travels (and maybe some post-match celebrations), were admittedly a little shy about dancing on stage, despite being enticed. But skipper Temba Bavuma said they appreciated the turnout and it was clear by the reaction of fans just how much of an effect it had on people at home when they lifted the Test mace in London. 'You've really shown us what it means, what we did out there, and to see all you guys enjoy this moment with us makes us really proud of our efforts,' Bavuma told the crowd. Golden run for SA sport The world Test cricket title is the latest achievement on a golden run of form for South Africa in the sporting arena, with the country having shone in multiple sports over the last couple of years. Though the Test title ended a lengthy trophy drought, the SA cricket teams have been performing well, reaching multiple playoffs. The Proteas men reached the final of last year's T20 World Cup in the West Indies, and the Proteas women progressed to the finals of the 2023 T20 World Cup on home soil and the 2024 T20 showpiece in the UAE. In other sports, the Springboks won a record fourth Rugby World Cup title in 2023 in France, while South Africa earned six medals in four codes – swimming, athletics, cross country cycling and rugby sevens – at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Midway though this year, Dricus du Plessis has already defended his UFC middleweight title for the second time in a rematch against Sean Strickland, Rayno Nel has won the World's Strongest Man competition, and the national sprinting squad have secured three medals (including two gold) at the World Athletics Relays championship.
The Herald
08-05-2025
- Politics
- The Herald
Political murders that shocked the world
In the mid-1980s, SA — especially the Eastern Cape and what was then the Transvaal — was in absolute political chaos, and appalling atrocities were being committed as the country headed towards anarchy. It was the beginning of the end of a tragic and bloody chapter of a racially and deeply divided nation. The defiant former president of the apartheid government, PW Botha, had announced a partial state of emergency on July 20 1985 — and just before this, political activists in the Eastern Cape were targeted in the worst and most violent deadly crimes ever carried out by security police. These included the now infamous abduction and cold-blooded murder of struggle heroes like the Pebco Three and Cradock Four, among many others. These shocking killings would take place in the months preceding the state of emergency, which placed draconian restrictions on the media and which even led to The Herald editor at the time, Koos Viviers, appearing in the Grahamstown High Court on charges of having contravened these laws. Readers recall blank spaces on the front page of The Herald at the time, in a silent protest at not being able to report on certain unfolding political and anti-apartheid protest events happening on the ground. The partial state of emergency initially applied to 36 magisterial districts in the Eastern Cape and the Pretoria-Witwatersrand-Vereeniging area. However, with continued resistance throughout the country, the Act was eventually enforced nationally in 1986. On May 8 1985, three members of the Port Elizabeth Black Civic Organisation (Pebco) left their homes in Kwazakhele. They included president Qaqawuli Godolozi, secretary Champion Galela and executive committee member Sipho Hashe. The Pebco m embers were lured to the Port Elizabeth airport by security police on May 8 1985. They were then beaten to death on a remote farm at Post Chalmers near Cradock. Nothing was known of their fate until 1997 when former security police colonel Gideon Nieuwoudt confessed to involvement in their deaths. After years of uncertainty for their families, the remains of the Pebco Three and two Cosas activists were found at Post Chalmers in 2007. Seven weeks later on June 27, Sparrow Mkhonto, Fort Calata, Matthew Goniwe and Sicelo Mhlauli, were detained by the security police outside Port Elizabeth. Goniwe and Calata were rumoured to be on a secret police hit list for their active participation in the struggle against apartheid in the Cradock area. The South African security forces murdered them and then disposed of their bodies by burning. Today, four towers stand tall and proud on a hill overlooking the Lingelihle township. In 2019, government leaders officially launched the Cradock Garden of Remembrance after a multimillion-rand refurbishment of the memorial complex. At the time, Goniwe's widow, Nyameka, said the garden was long overdue. 'We as families even thought that it was not going to be done as the space was identified and left empty for years and ended up being vandalised.' She said the garden had been established for a purpose and it should be used to create culture, history and distribute knowledge to South Africans. 'This site should be guiding us as the Cradock Four g uided the country before they were brutally murdered. This must be the light that stands on top of the mountain and sheds light for everyone,' Goniwe said. — Additional reporting by Tembile Sgqolana and South African History Online The Herald
