The trio of Rastas that bungled the SA anthem before the game against France have expressed surprise at being told they sucked. The South African embassy chose the singer of South Africa’s national anthem in Toulouse on Friday night. ‘Every time we welcome a foreign side, we ask the embassy to propose people for the national anthems,’ said French team manager Maso. ‘It’s the South African Embassy that put forward this man and we respected their choice.’
Durban local Ras Dumisani, who now records out of Paris, sang the anthem and was astounded when told players and coach Peter de Villiers were unhappy at his performance, saying ‘everyone at the stadium told me I sang well, even after the match. The Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika has been my tune since a baby’ he added. ‘How can I not know the words? There are four languages: Zulu, Sesotho, Afrikaans, English. It’s just four bars, always saying the same thing. I am the biggest reggae man in South Africa and the Springboks are my team. Everyone has their own tastes and you can’t always account for that but most people find my music so beautiful.’
3 highlights of the video – 1. White dude on the bongos 2. Schalk’s look of disgust 3. John Smit’s “What the f**k was that?”
http://www.dfa.gov.za/foreign/sa_abroad/saf.htm
Oregan Hoskins has been in contact with the FFR regarding Friday night’s singing of the national anthem.
‘As a union we were shocked and horrified by the rendition of the anthem and I contacted the French Federation on Saturday morning to express our very grave concerns,’ Hoskins said in a statement. ‘The performance of the anthem is a treasured part of any rugby international and we take great pains in this country in the selection and rehearsal of artists to ensure that we appropriately honour all anthems.
‘Something went seriously awry in Toulouse and the upshot was that offence has been caused not just to the Springboks and Saru but to South Africans in general.
‘I congratulate France on their victory in the Test match, but look forward to their response on this important issue.’
Shoyab Casoo of the South African embassy in France denied Maso’s claims and told Die Rapport that the embassy had given a list of singers to the FFR as requested, but had not chosen a particular one.
‘We just gave them the names of people we’re aware of,’ said Casoo. ‘We didn’t know how well these people could sing.’
Oregan Hoskins has accepted an apology from the FFR regarding the singing of South Africa’s national anthem.
Saru president Hoskins wrote a letter to the FFR expressing his disappointment at how Ras Dumisani was allowed the honour in Toulouse on Friday. Pierre Camou, president of the FFR, responded by giving his apologies for what he described a ‘debacle’, but said his union was also a victim of the affair.
Camou claimed that Dumisani had rehearsed before the match and there was nothing wrong with the performance.
‘The French Union have offered their unreserved apologies and I have accepted them on behalf of Saru,’ said Hoskins in a statement.
‘I am still at a loss to understand how this artist was allowed to be in a position to deliver such an appalling rendition of our cherished anthem – something that would never be allowed to happen in this country.
‘But I obviously accept that there was no deliberate intent by the FFR to sabotage the anthem and, as much as the performance still rankles, we regard the matter as now closed.’