JONATHAN JANSEN: Is your response to Ashwin Willemse scripted by race?
'So far, black and white South Africans played dutifully to the historical script − blacks saw white racism, whites saw black petulance'
When Ashwin Willemse called me out of the blue to meet for coffee some time ago, I was excited and knew exactly what I was going to ask him. How did a poor Afrikaans-speaking boy from a broken home in rural Caledon become this multi-award-winning Springbok rugby player? Many of the young men from his home town are absorbed into gangs, abuse drugs and find themselves circulating through that revolving door called the prison system. I knew within minutes of our first meeting why this rugby winger rose to the top of his game − discipline, determination and a good dose of humility. That is why when Ashwin snapped on the television set of SuperSport last weekend, two things were immediately clear to me. One, this generous and humble man had been driven to the edge. Something must have upset him over time and he could no longer take it. Two, the way he addressed his grievance was completely within character − calm, deliberate, thoughtful, but direct.The live incident caught on tape went v...
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