In light of former Minister Zizi Kodwa's resignation, we revisit his iconic moment during this year's AFCON with Bafana Bafana.
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The story
Zizi Kodwa resigned from his sports, arts and culture ministerial post this week as he faces charges of corruption amounting to R1.7 million.
During the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, the former Minister attended Bafana Bafana's encounters against Mali, Nigeria and DR Congo.
Hugo Broos' men went down to Mali, 2-0 in their Group E and after the match, Kodwa headed to the Bafana dressing room to give them a lift and impart some tactical advice.
The appearance of the former Sports Minister in the Bafana Bafana dressing room following their loss to Mali sparked plenty of discussions online about whether a politician should have been granted access to that space, especially after a defeat.A video showing Kodwa addressing the players after the defeat to Mali saw Kodwa draw plenty of criticism from Mzansi football fans. In the video, Broos cut a glum figure with his hand on his jaw, observing as the minister, accompanied by Safa president Danny Jordaan, lecture the squad.
"I think for me it is a great opportunity to progress from the group stages and I think what was good of you is that you are careless about the crowd," Kodwa said his speech to the players.
"It's a game of football and a split second that changes the decision. I think those short passes make a lot of difference and I think you defeated them in the first half.
"But of course, you have to regroup. It's a game of football. I just want to encourage you. I think you inspired a lot of South Africans. If you look at the games that have been played in this tournament, there are no underdogs.
"Some big countries have also lost and they are struggling in the group stages. You remain an inspiration, go forward and never lose hope. Discipline and playing as a team. I think going forward I see success. I'm confident that you will progress. I think the coach would have drawn some lessons from the game.
"I just want to encourage you on behalf of the President [Cyril Ramaphosa] to express that message and also on behalf of South Africans," added Kodwa. While many could see that as political interference in sport, to Kodwa's credit, his confidence was validated by Bafana Bafana going on to finish 3rd at AFCON and walking away with a Bronze medal for the first time since 2000.
Re-live the moment below:
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