During the past few months of 2018, some of the most iconic players to ever grace South Africa’s cricket pitches, passed away - Sulaiman ‘Dik’ Abed (19 January), Ivan Dagnin (6 May), Saait Magiet (17 July) and Michael Doman (30 July).
They were part of a cohort of great sportsmen and women who played what we
called non-racial sport in the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s at a time when the country was in the grip of an oppressive Apartheid state. During those turbulent times, the resilience and resistance of the oppressed was tested to its full, and it was often the prowess of talented sportsmen and women, on playing fields on the Cape Flats and other townships across the country, that provided much needed respites from the political turmoil we were experiencing. Their achievements and performances kept up the spirit and solidarity of oppressed communities in this country.
