Unplugged by BBK

Dear Zungu: To be ignorant of one's ignorance is the malady of ignorance

While Bongani Zungu has apologised for his set-the-cat-among-the-pigeons tweet, what it did was to expose his ignorance of the workings of the Pirates think-tank

18 November 2018 - 00:00 By BARENG BATHO-KORTJAAS

Forget the cat fight.
It is just a distraction.
Forget the tweets.
They are just for twats in twars.
Forget the videos.
They are just a deflection.
Flip. Forget all of it.
The gesticulation.
The swearing.
All of that is nothing.
All of it had, as a foundation, the strong insinuation that reduced Milutin "Micho" Sredojevic to a mere figurehead at Orlando Pirates and sought to paint a picture of Rhulani Mokwena as the main man calling the shots.
There is a clear bromance between Zungu, the tweet composer, and Mokwena, the Pirates assistant coach he holds in high regard. While Zungu has apologised for his set-the-cat-among-the-pigeons tweet, what it did was to expose his ignorance of the workings of the Pirates think-tank.
The foundation of the evolution of the revolution is anchored on the humility of the son of Serbia, Sredojevic.
So comfortable in his skin is Sredojevic, he does not see Mokwena as a threat.
This mutual respect and connection was clearly evident when one engaged the duo at the Rand Stadium.
This conversation happened when they began the daunting task of breathing life back into the broken, bruised and battered Bucs they inherited.
BBK: Greetings head coach Micho and assistant Mokwena.
Micho: I would like to humbly and respectfully inform you that those boundaries do not exist between us, my brother. We do more sharing. The way we work, we are more like co-coaches.
"For the past few years as a person knowing and loving African football, I have seen who are the coaches on the continent that would move African football in miles.
"Coach Pitso Mosimane has already shown by making Mamelodi Sundowns the champions of Africa that he is a force to be reckoned with.
"Later on, coming to SA, I got the privilege to work with coach Rhulani. I can admit in his presence that I count him like my heart, soul and mind of football here because, whatever it is, the football in his veins we share.
"We know so many aspects of life, but the way we are dedicated and committed to the game of football on the one side, and the way we love and respect this badge, myself due to my own way of looking at Pirates, and himself through the blood connection with the club. Those two, football and Pirates, is what seals us to move this project in the right direction."
Rhulani: From a coaching perspective, the reputation, history and pedigree of coach Micho speaks for itself.
"The amount of work that he has put into African football.
"The success he has had in almost every single job he has undertaken [Micho has coached in Uganda, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Sudan and Rwanda] tells you about the fountain of knowledge of the man.
"Of course that speaks for itself. You don't accumulate that amount of success by luck. Once success sustains itself and repeats itself, it is indicative of the quality of the leader. In coach Micho we have a football scholar, a highly passionate person, a coach who lives and breathes the game of football 24/7. And when you have that, you already have possibly the first basic principle for greatness. Passion drives talent. The main thing that brings us together is the amount of passion that we have for the game."
Moral of the story?
In our bromance we must not fan the fires of ignorance. Because to be ignorant of one's ignorance is the malady of the ignorant. We must always resist the temptation of believing our own propaganda. No man is an island. Manners maketh a man. Wise men are always wary of the wedge driver...

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