How then did an unlettered caddy etch his name into history at such a prestigious venue?

No, he didn’t trespass, steal from, or assault anyone there (as the Apartheid stereotype of non-whites would have led many to assume). After mounting pressures from the global golf fraternity, Papwa was reluctantly allowed to play in the Natal Open in 1961, where he finished 2nd.

It was though at this same venue, Durban Country Club in 1963 that Papwa would cement his name in golf folklore when he won the Natal Open!

Becoming the 1st non-white to win a National Golf Open tournament in South Africa. Due to the segregation laws of Apartheid at the time, Papwa was not permitted to receive his winner’s trophy in the whites-only club house and had to settle for a humiliating receipt of it in the pouring rain.

But not even that could have dampened the euphoria of that iconic, historical achievement.

Papwa would go on to win it again in 1965, beating Gary Player who was in peak form at the time - happening in the same year in which Player completed his Grand Slam of Major championship victories.

So why is all of this so significant?

Because of Dylan Naidoo, a young talented Indian golfer from Durban who happens to be in consistent form finding himself in contention more often than not since the end of the 2024 season weaving into 2025 was playing in this tournament - and I had a feeling he could win it. Which is largely why I went up to Durban.

Dylan (27) is also a graduate of the Papwa Sewgolum Class within the Sunshine Tour - a group of emerging black talented golfers who’ve earned the support of the Sunshine Tour in various forms.

Incidentally, due to incessant rain flooding the course more than once, the tournament was cut short to 54 holes. To me, that was symbolic of how Papwa’s career was cut short in its prime after the Apartheid Government banned Papwa from playing golf tournaments in South Africa since 1965 and revoked his passport so that he’s further unable compete in any international tournaments. Ultimately ending his career.

It’s no news now that Dylan has since won the tournament, many have already written about his skilfully played historic win. And like Papwa, etching his name into golf’s history by becoming the 1st South African golfer of colour to win the SA Open, ever!

Let that compute again, after 122 years - One Hundred and Twenty-Two years, Dylan Naidoo became the 1st South African golfer of colour to the SA Open. Winning at this venue that holds so much historical gravitas for all black golfers.

Dylan too received his trophy in the rain, but this time it was not because he wasn’t allowed inside. The familiar images of him proudly holding his trophy in the rain, albeit a joyous affair this time, evoked emotions of lost dreams of what Papwa could still have achieved in a just society.

Dylan’s incredible victory though, underscores my gripe with golf, in a macro context. Because this anomaly is not endemic to South Africa. Why has it taken so long for this to happen? Why only after 122 years did a non-white player hoist the SA Open Championship trophy in triumph?

If we have so many golf development programmes throughout the country (which we do) to help make the sport more representative of our multicultural demographic, why aren’t we seeing a greater mix of contenders and winners?

It’s certainly not because non-white golfers are less capable. Dylan is a case in point. Nikhil Rahma is another young golfer whose form is consistent, and he is bound to get a big breakthrough in the very near future.

SA expat Kieron van Wyk, a Joburg boy who’s playing in America at Charleston State University who too already etched his name into US golf history by becoming the 1st Black player to win the CAA Individual Title in 2022,back-back Golfer of the Year awards, and became the first Amateur to win on the APGA Tour in January this year.

And most recently, finished T4 at the Puerto Rico Championship on his debut PGA Tour appearance this weekend past .So no, it’s not a lack of talent. It’s a lack of intent. At least that’s my analysis of the status quo. We can’t rely on drips and drabs of better-off black and brown kids getting into golf. We need to change the culture of how all of them see golf.

Golf must become a sport that black and brown kids grow up wanting to do just as they do with cricket, soccer, rugby, netball, tennis, and athletics. But this will only happen if we take the sport to them, en masse.

It must be an optional sport at every school in every community no matter the social-economic status of the school. In fact, the more under resourced the school is, the more important it is for them to have golf offered.

This is why I’m so passionate about developing a golf course in Mitchells Plain. This ambitious vision has finally generated substantial momentum after meeting with the Western Cape Minister of Sport, Ricardo MacKenzie last week.

Coupled with a school’s golf introduction programme, it will serve as the proving ground for young kids from all over the Mitchells Plain and surrounding communities to develop, nurture, and ultimately master the skills required for golf.

This is how, over time, we will form teams from Mitchells Plain schools to participate in the Western Province Schools Golf League - who are all currently not represented in it.

This is how we will augment our representation in golf in a systemic, purposeful manner. And not wait another 122 years for a new brown face to lift a trophy in a South African golf tournament.

I’m excited to have Minister MacKenzie's support and look forward to co-creating a legacy project that will reap generational benefits for all communities around it, through a sport that has afforded me many incredible opportunities, simply by playing it - even though badly more often than not.

** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL or Independent Media.