Federation Focus: Softball South Africa and its unique history
The second episode of the 2023 Federation Focus series is dedicated to Softball South Africa (SSA).
South Africa has been a softball country for a long time, but the development of the game in the country is unique.
South Africa started playing women's softball in 1946 and the men's game in 1947. The South African Softball Association was established in 1949. The Population Registration Act started the apartheid era soon after in South Africa in 1950, around the same time when Nick Barack launched the idea of an International Softball Federation (ISF) in the United States.
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In 1960, the president of the South African Softball Association, Jan Crafford, backed the Australian Women's Softball idea to launch a world tournament and in 1965, South Africa attended the first ISF Congress in Melbourne, Australia.
South Africa participated in the second edition of the Men's Softball World Cup in 1968 in Oklahoma City, USA, and 1972 in Marikina, Philippines, and the Women's Softball World Cup in 1974 in Stratford, USA.
In 1975, the ISF suspended the South African Softball Association, a white-only organization and South Africa would not return to international softball until 1994, when they participated in the Women's Softball World Cup in St. John, Canada.
During the apartheid era, black people couldn't compete in organized softball. "We only played among ourselves in friendly rallies," remembered Matthews Madumetia Kutumela on his ISF Hall of Fame induction.
The South African Softball Federation was launched in 1975 in Bloemfontein, Transvaal Province and in 1992, with the apartheid era coming towards an end, softball was run by three separate bodies: the South African Softball Association, the South African Softball Federation and the South African Softball Congress. They started talks to merge under a sole governing body, eventually named Softball South Africa (SSA), under the auspices of the National Olympic Committee.
Philip Katz and Mathews Kutumela represented South Africa at the 1993 ISF Congress and SSA elected Willie Wenlock as the first president of the united body in 1995.
Current president Mashilo Matsetela served in an interim position from 2012 to 2015 before he was elected SSA president in 2015. He was renewed in the position in 2019, and his second term will expire in the summer of 2023. Election day is 8 July, just one month after Matsetela's 60th birthday.
The real estate expert has a busy schedule. March is the month of the men's and women's National Championships in Durban, in the KwaZulu Natal Province. "The different provinces hold their leagues and, in the end, select the provincial team to compete in the men's and women's National Championships," confirmed Matsetela.
South Africa, ranked No. 12 in Men's and No. 39 in Women's Softball World Rankings, has participated in 11 Men's Softball World Cups, hosting the 2000 edition in East London, and seven Women's Softball World Cups. The National Team coaching staff select the players to represent the country during the National Championships.
The process is almost the same at the Youth level. SSA runs men's and women's School National Championships for the U-17 age bracket and men's and women's University National Championships for the U-23 age bracket.
"We selected the team for the WBSC U-23 Men's Softball World Cup during the last University National Championship and the team for the U-18 Men's Softball World Cup during the last Schools National Championship," confirmed Matsetela.
Different bodies run baseball and softball in South Africa, but SSA has a working relationship with the South African Baseball Union.
"I meet president Marc Moreau from time to time. We are trying to coordinate our programmes."
Baseball5 is a joint effort. "We actually run the programme together with baseball," commented Matsetela. "Both baseball and softball players participate in our National Teams."
South Africa finished seventh in the inaugural Baseball5 World Cup and is currently No. 6 in WBSC World Rankings.
From a solid base, Softball South Africa is looking to continue to build and grow, not only on the field but off the field. "We are looking to educate new umpires and coaches and also looking for training courses for administrators," Matsetela said. "The need to be updated on safeguarding and anti-doping shouldn't also be overlooked."
