By David Gold
April 14 – South Africa’s national football team could be set for a name change due to a trademark dispute, with the country’s football federation (SAFA) admitting that they are undecided on whether to drop the “Bafana Bafana” nickname.
Bafana Bafana has been associated with the team since it was readmitted into FIFA in 1991 after the years of apartheid.
But two years later, Wayne Smidt, a businessman who spotted an opportunity, registered the “Bafana Bafana” trademark under his Stanton Woodrush company after noticing that SAFA had yet to do so.
It adds to the questions over SAFA’s organisation, given that at the end of last year, the under-21 side almost missed out on playing in the All Africa Games due to someone at the association forgetting to register the team.
That Stanton Woodrush own the Bafana Bafana trademark has caused SAFA problems over the years as they are forced to pay a levy to Smidt for the right to use the name.
At the start of the decade the matter went to court, but SAFA were told that it was their fault for not registering the name, and Smidt was allowed to continue charging a levy for its use.
It meant that during the World Cup last summer, held in South Africa, the profits from the huge volume of merchandise sold bearing the trademark had to be shared with Smidt.
But now the country’s football authorities are considering dropping the Bafana Bafana name, which means “the boys” in Zulu, arguing that the team deserve a name more befitting of men, rather than boys.
Earlier this week SAFA supposedly informed Stanton Woodrush that the name would be changing, according to the company, but the football authorities have denied this.
SAFA President Kirtsen Nematandani insisted that talks over the use of the name had not taken place because they had been unable to get in touch with Smidt.
“When we got his [Smidt] contact number, we gave him a call but his phone was off, and he has never replied back to the numerous messages that we left for him.”
Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula has waded into the debate, saying that he was in favour of adopting a more “intimdating” nickname.
“Name change is a debate worth looking at, we are well respected in the African continent,” he argued
“We are climbing the FIFA rankings and I wonder if we still need that name [Bafana Bafana].”
Danny Jordaan, SAFA vice-president and 2010 World Cup Organising Committee chief executive, said: “Zimbabwe was changed from Rhodesia and even my home city Port Elizabeth is now known as Nelson Mandela Bay.
“For as long as the name Bafana Bafana has existed, there have been those who were opposed to it.
“It has been viewed as demeaning in some instances because it means ‘boys’ and these are grown men we are talking about.”
Nematendani has confirmed that a three man task force consisting of himself, Jordaan and SAFA executive Alpha Mchunu will be looking to find a new name, but his comments revealed that the motive behind the change comes down to financial concerns rather than semantics.
“It is in the interest of Safa to ensure that it receives an income from the exploitation of the trademark and we would not want to delay this process any further,” he explained.
“We look forward to engaging the nation in finding a new name.
“However, with respect to the current name, we will also look at any reasonable proposals from anyone, but the committee will continue with its work as mandated by the SAFA National Executive Committee.
“The Association has directed a letter to all interested parties and we await a response to our communiqué to them in this regard.”
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