What a breath of fresh air is the humility of Temba Bavuma

This week I got up close and personal with Temba Bavuma. Standing next to each other, we made an odd couple, looking as though we were writing the word "if", what with all of his 1.67m hovering just above my waistline.

He was a guest on Sport@10TV, the Wednesday night SABC 1 sports show one works on with Thomas Mlambo, Shampooniser and David Kekana, fuelled by a fantastic crew led by a formidable behind-the-scenes petticoat government.

The presence of the lad from Langa made the chest of Mlambo, the resident shortie on set, swell with pride. Not because he was in the presence of a cricket great in the making.

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But because, for once in his life, Timmy Thomas could claim to be taller than someone, even if it was by an inch of a strand of hair.

We love to have our guests arrive from nine o'clock for a 10pm kickoff - with TV, it's hurry up and wait.

The clock was approaching 9.45pm when the security guard lifted the boom. A white sedan slotted into the Henley Studios parking bay.

Bavuma disembarked and approached. What followed was good manners personified.

"Good evening sir. I hope I am not late," he said as he stretched his hand to shake mine. Wow! A whole 15 minutes early, the pint-sized giant, who produced a gigantic maiden century at his favourite ground in the world, Newlands, is still a humble son of the soil grounded in humility.

Now this was a breath of fresh air for a sports journalist who has seen his fair share of "stars" who prance around like peacocks as if the sun shines from their nether regions.

I'm talking about the lot who, after one plausible performance, allow the prima donna to pop out screaming 'I've arrived, so you better worship the ground I walk on'.

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I've seen the one-good-game- types who think you must already be in mid-air before asking how high when they say jump. In that one small gesture, this Bavuma chap blew me away.

Please stay the way you are, never change, I uttered as I bid the man whose 102 not out made him the first black African to record the milestone.

"What is there to arrive for when there is so much to be done, so many opportunities to be taken, so many challenges to rise to," he retorted, matter of factly. Ride on brother, ride on.

Cognisant of the fact that he is no token selection, Bavuma is conscious that his feat bestowed on him a role as a beacon of hope for the children of the oldest township in Cape Town. And every other township. And squatter camp. And village within the borders of the Republic.

"At Newlands, I looked at the kids who were there for the KFC mini cricket festival at lunch. Half of those kids come from Langa and half of them know my name. Whenever I go back to Langa, I know I'm going to have those kids running around me. There is a greater significance, a lot of pressure, but it is international cricket."

On that balmy day in January, Bavuma captured the imagination of the nation when he proved that he can be trusted with a stick as much as Kagiso Rabada had rampantly showed that he can be relied on with the ball in hand.

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These kids are kicking ass. They've got their feet firmly on the ground. Their heads are not swollen from hogging the headlines, but are rather screwed properly on their shoulders.

Now that they have announced themselves to the world, they will be under constant scrutiny with their every move.

"There's no room for error. Especially away from the oval.

Thankfully, they have little chance of straying. Their fathers are actively supportive of their sons. Which is the problem with most of my black community.

The parents, especially the fathers, are never there to encourage every step of the way. Long may they remain rooted in humility as they continue getting up close and personal with superstardom.

Twitter:@bbkunplugged99