For South Africans, it is a genuine shock when a public figure takes responsibility, adopts a principled moral stance, or simply admits their guilt. The ongoing Madlanga Commission has revealed a tendency among politicians and civil servants who swore to defend the Constitution and the country's way of life to desperately evade accountability to the state and its citizens.
Under intense scrutiny, they stumble and mumble when confronted with irrefutable evidence of corruption, doing everything possible to clear themselves. Recently, ANC regional treasurer Sulaiman Karim was arrested while attempting to avoid accountability. Before that, Major General Ferroz Khan, a high-ranking police official, staged his own audacious campaign to evade serious criminal charges.
The situation abroad is often no better. Former Brazilian President Flavio Bolsonaro fled to the US last week after losing elections there, while Donald Trump in the US continues to use the classic strong leader tactic: denial, evasion, and undermining democratic institutions whenever faced with institutional pressure.
For leaders of this type, the blame always lies with someone else; they are eternal victims of circumstances, endlessly creating scapegoats to shift the blame.
Problems in South African Sports
Nowhere is the culture of evasion more destructive than in South African sport. Athletics South Africa is facing severe criticism from World Athletics over the conduct of its president, James Moloi, while vice-president John Matan faces accusations of financial malpractice.
Swimming in South Africa remains in disarray: the team failed to pay Olympic champion Tatjana Smith her due for almost two years. Ultra-marathon record holder Gerda Stein was forced into a similar public fight just to receive her prize money from the Soweto Marathon organizers.
Boxing in South Africa remains completely dysfunctional despite repeated attempts at reform. Meanwhile, SASCOC, the body responsible for overseeing all these structures, is paralyzed by its own internal crises following the suspension of its president, Barry Hendrix.
Safa, meanwhile, insults the intelligence of the public by using its resources to support the legal defense of Danny Jordan, who is accused of fraud against the very association he leads. These are just some examples that immediately come to mind; there are many more.
It is no wonder that South Africa is increasingly being called a mafia state. Almost every structure—from government ministries to autonomous public organizations—seems gripped by patronage.
The Example of Takeshi Okada's Principle
Against this backdrop, reading about a sports administrator who resigns purely on principle feels like a message from another planet. Consider Takeshi Okada, Vice President of the Japan Football Association and the man who managed Japan at the 1998 and 2010 World Cups. Okada resigned on Tuesday not because of a crime committed or an accusation made. He resigned out of simple moral obligation.
When AFC President Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa gave unconditional support to FIFA President Gianni Infantino—violating several agreements with confederations that condemned Infantino's controversial proposals to open prestigious competitions to private investors—Okada decided he could not remain a silent accomplice.
His moral compass simply would not allow him to reconcile his conscience with the position of the AFC. Okada stated: 'Throughout my career, I valued the social value of sport based on the belief that sport should be conducted with integrity.' He continued: 'However, regarding the series of responses concerning the recent FIFA World Cup, there is a significant gap between those responses and my beliefs, and as an athlete, I cannot accept them.'
This is a level of leadership that earns respect, regardless of one's position in FIFA politics. If South African sport were managed with such a level of conviction, our athletes would dominate the world stage. Instead, our sport is held hostage by administrators preoccupied with enrichment and status. They feast while athletes fight for survival, and the moment accountability is demanded, they immediately play the victim.
South African sport does not need an investigative commission. It needs leaders with the character firmness of Takeshi Okada.