The Bafokeng Story is one of thinking big and global but acting locally to meaningful and effective change. The inspiring Documentary Playing the Game the Bafokeng Way is a uniquely informative and intimate visual journey.
Playing the Game the Bafokeng Way is a 48 minute High Definition television documentary on the Bafokeng Tribe in South Africa. Directed by Guy Spiller and Producer by Francis Gerard, Playing the Game the Bafokeng Way will screen on SABC 1 on Tuesday 7th September at 21.30
The Bafokeng are the only rural community in South Africa to have a world class soccer stadium and hosted six FIFA World Cup 2010 matches.
In answering the question of how the Bafokeng came to own this soccer stadium, the documentary tells the story of this extraordinary and innovative tribe – from their visionary leadership, to their amazing good fortune, to their investment in sport.
The film is presented by Enkie Pitsoe, a son of the Bafokeng soil, who spends half his time practicing as a gynaecologist in Johannesburg and the other half working for the Royal Bafokeng Institute as an educational and vocational consultant.
In the film, Enkie travels around the Bafokeng territory experiencing the landscape and speaking to people, so that he can get a good understanding of the Bafokeng story.
He visits the first mission station where in the mid-1800s Kgosi (King) Mokgatle invited missionaries into his village to educate his people.
He visits Paul Kruger’s house, with whom Mokgatle was friendly, and tells the story of Kgosi Mokgatle’s amazing foresight in deciding to buy their land with money raised by sending regiments of young men to the Kimberley diamond fields to work.
The land initially provided grazing for the source of their wealth, their precious cattle, but later turned out to contain the bulk of the World’s platinum group metals.
During Apartheid the Bafokeng were made part of the Bophuthatswana homeland and were oppressed. Their King, Lebone went into exile, many of the people were detained and they lost control of the wealth from the mines.
After the fall of Apartheid they won a massive legal battle which enabled them to receive fair royalties from the mines on their land. These have since been exchanged for shares in the mines and form the backbone of an impressive investment portfolio under the control of their own investment company Royal Bafokeng Holdings.
Despite their presence on the World’s stock markets, they continue to use and modernize their traditional governance structures. At clan level there are meetings with the Kgosana (chief) often in a circle under a tree and at the highest tribe level, the Supreme Council headed by Kgosi Leruo Molotlegi, the King.
The tribe continues to look to the future, and has many programs which will enable it to become self sufficient and sustainable.
The Bafokeng are investing in education and are busy building a model school as good as any in South Africa, as well as providing bursaries for university students. They are investing in quality social, health and infrastructure programs.
But the Bafokeng have also identified sport as a developmental tool. They own a premier league soccer team, Platinum Stars and a Currie Cup rugby team, Platinum Leopards. They have built a world class sports centre where the England team was based during the 2010 World Cup.
