The Zebras that rarely disappoint
Mqondisi Dube | Friday May 14, 2021 15:26
In the local sport fraternity, the Zebras are symbolic. The Zebra is Botswana’s national animal and the black and white stripes dominate across the spectrum, including sport.
The most famous Zebra is the men’s national soccer team. Football is by far the country’s most popular sport and has proved to have unlimited appeal and reach. Millions of pula have been ploughed into football over the years to elevate the sport and ensure mass grassroots participation.
The record crowd attendance is held by football, with 26,662 fans going through the turnstiles at the Francistown Sports Complex to watch the Zebras play against Mali in 2015.
Other than BDF Day or Independence Day celebrations, where entry is free of charge, no other event has the pulling power that rivals a soccer match, particularly that features the Zebras.
The Zebras have been the undisputed darlings of an expectant nation, despite the regular doses of disappointment.
The most significant moment of the Zebras’ long history, came in 2012 when the team qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations finals.
There have been two notable moments when the team reached the COSAFA Cup finals in 2016 and 2018.
Otherwise, it has been business as usual as the Zebras enjoy unfettered support but continue to dish underwhelming performances.
The enduring bond between the Zebras and their fans is unshakeable. It has stuck firmly like glue in a typical ‘in good, and bad times’ scenario.
Even when the Zebras hit the lowest of ebbs, it has never been short of sympathisers and the tight pursues usually loosen where football is mentioned.
A case in point is the recent promise of a P20,000 bonus pay-out for each player had the Zebras beaten Zimbabwe in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.
The Minister of Youth Empowerment, Sport and Culture Development, Tumiso Rakgare made a last-minute appearance on the eve of the match to promise the ‘goodies’.
Despite the ‘huge’ carrot dangled in front of the players, the Zebras served the usual unpalatable concoction of disappointment.
The fans will be angry for one minute, but the next moment, the love-hate relationship rumbles on.
Such favour is hardly extended to other codes, who have to toil without any recognisable support from the authorities.
Only at the business end – when the trophy or medals touch down at the Sir Seretse Khama International Airport – do authorities don their black, blue and white jackets to welcome the team.
The victors from other sport codes are then whisked away for dinner and pampered for an hour or two, promised an incentive, then all fizzles back to the normal routine.
Karate, volleyball, athletics, netball, softball are amongst some of the codes that have flown the Botswana flag the highest in international competitions in recent times.
But they have come to accept that there is that other Zebra, with the regular propensity to disappoint, but liked by many.
Despite spending days away, the Prodigal Son returns to a hearty feast while his brother who had remained loyal and toiling with his father can only watch in disappointment.
A fortnight ago, athletics once again reminded the nation of what other Zebras are capable of.
Athletics in particular have emerged as a trusted Zebras that has stamped its undisputed authority on various tracks around the world.
Amantle Montsho’s immaculate run at the 2011 World Championships in Daegu, South Korea confirmed her as the best 400m runner in the world. The following year, Nijel Amos drove the nation into unbridled ecstasy when he won Botswana’s first Olympic Games medal in London. Athletics was firmly on track and had started an upward trajectory that has never flapped.
There was Diamond League glory for both Montsho and Amos, while Isaac Makwala, Karabo Sibanda and Baboloki Thebe all made a firm presence at world competitions.
The sound of Makwala’s thudding run at the 2017 World Championships still echoes in the minds of most. The following year, he became the 400m Commonwealth Games champion.
The men’s relay team stood its ground at the World Relays in the Bahamas in 2017.
This year, amid gloom surrounding sport due to COVID-19, athletics once again arrived on the scene to put the much-needed smiles on the faces of a pandemic weary nation.
Makwala led the 4x400m team to victory in the heats of the World Relays, despite COVID-19 restrictions ensuring the team was not as sharp as expected.
Sports activities were suspended last year March, and only part openings allowed the athletic teams to train.
But despite the limitations, the Zebras that do not disappoint did not disappoint.
However, they have to come to accept that the other Zebra will continue to lie on the lap of the nation, being pampered endlessly.