Man of war Sexwale was never in Fifa election to win it

U Sexwale ushaye adume ngazo. That is isiZulu for 'Sexwale did what he does best'.

Tokyo Sexwale that is. Some among us (loads rum tobacco into pipe) were shocked that the African candidate pulled out of the Fifa race on election day a few minutes before the ballot.

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Hehehehehehe (fixes glasses with the middle finger and clears throat). There was nothing shocking, at least for those who have followed the Sexwale story with elections.

I've seen this movie before, I said to myself, quoting coach Pitso Mosimane, as I sat in the newsroom boardroom listening to Sexwale telling the world: "My campaign is suspended as of now."

Before that, he had pronounced that he was prepared to serve.

By resigning his bid to be the chief guardian of the global game, the stunt Sexwale staged in Zurich is a carbon copy of the one he pulled in Polokwane when he harboured ambitions to become president of the liberation movement governing the republic.

The elephant-memory blessed among us will recall the 2007 ANC elective conference that took place in Polokwane for the most prized and powerful position of party (and country) president.

Everyone knew that it was a two-man race with the nine provinces split down the middle in support of either Thabo Mbeki or Jacob Zuma.

Everyone knew Sexwale had no base. Sexwale insisted that he was in the mix and told everyone who cared to listen that there was a third way - himself.

Election day came. Sexwale rose from the floor, ascended to the podium, gave a brief speech and ba da bing, ba da boom, he withdrew his candidacy and endorsed Zuma's campaign.

Prior to that he had pronounced something akin to being prepared to serve.

Serve he did as he was rewarded with a cabinet post as minister of human settlements.

You have data bundles and can Google what happened in Mangaung in 2012. And so it is that the man of war, the warrior, took on another challenge.

The South African Football Association endorsed his candidacy.

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When it became apparent that there was not enough in the way of support coming his way, Safa whispered withdrawal. The warrior persisted.

When the Confederation of African Football threw its weight behind Salman bin Ibrahim al-Khalifa, the self-styled man of war Sexwale soldiered on.

At one stage the message was stopping a European from succeeding Blatter. The next thing the European, Gianni Infantino, was being taken on a tour of Robben Island.

The tour guide?

The contender for the most prized and powerful position of Fifa president, the former prisoner who was imprisoned on the island with Nelson Mandela. There, I dropped that name.

The flip-flopping has left some aerobics athletes green with envy.

And so it was that on February 26, Fifa Friday, the campaign came to its conclusion. The warrior threw in the towel before the race begun as the possibility of a zero vote edged closer to reality.

After a full presentation giving motivation for why he should win the election to become the new man after Sepp Blatter's 17-year reign, the man who carries the red card in the inside pocket of his jacket red-carded himself from the race.

From the word go, this had nothing to do with South Africa, with Africa; it had everything to do with Tokyo Sexwale. Big ups to him.

How long will it take before he gets his reward from the tourist he guided around Robben Island?

@bbkunplugged99