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In this World Cup special for the Arena Sports Show, host Mahlatse Mphahlele is joined by legends as they go down memory lane and reveal how South Africa’s nickname of Bafana Bafana came about.
Mphahlele welcomed veteran journalists Molefi Mika and Billy “Scoops” Cooper and former Bafana and Orlando Pirates striker Jerry “Legs of Thunder” Sikhosana for this fascinating discussion.
Mika, who was the sports editor of Sowetan newspaper, shared the story of how, together with his late colleagues Sello Rabothata and Sibusiso Mseleku, the name was Bafana conceptualised.
Cooper, who was working for rival newspaper The Star at that time, said the media and South Africans at large welcomed the name that differentiated South Africa from other countries.
Sikhosana, who was not part of the early stages of Bafana but went to the 1998 Fifa World Cup in France, said as a young player he liked the name and it was an honour to represent the country.
TimesLIVE
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