Soccer was Lenasia’s heartbeat

THE enduring scars of apartheid are deeply imprinted in the memories of black South Africans. The oppressive apartheid regime underestimated the strong unity among black communities and failed to recognise their immense passion for sports - a spirit that thrived even under the harsh restrictions of the Group Areas Act.

In 1955, with the establishment of Lenasia, the Indian community brought soccer with them as a cornerstone of their new lives. By January 1956, the first group of 50 families had transformed a small plot of land where the present Lenasia Civic Centre stands into two soccer fields, marking the birth of soccer in Lenasia and laying the foundations for the Lenasia Football Association (LFA).

On July 24, 1957, a historic meeting was held at the “hut” in the military barracks that was occupied by Dalla Magoo with the purpose of establishing a football body in Lenasia. Representatives of three soccer clubs, namely, Lenz United, Century and Orientals, were in attendance and Jimmy Padayachee was elected protem chairman and Pali Naidoo as secretary. 

A month later, on August 25, 1957, the Western Districts Indian Football Association (WDIFA) was established in Lenasia with WJ Warnasuriya as president, WA Moonsamy (secretary), G Padayachee (treasurer) and M Moonsamy (record clerk).

The five vice-presidents were J Padayachee, F Rungan, A Poonen, R Poonen and KR Padayachee.

From its inception the association adopted the principle of non-racialism in sport. On September 11, 1960, the first football fixtures were played at the Lenasia Sports Grounds, where the present stadium stands. The first soccer club in Lenasia was the Century FC, which was led by Dalla Magoo, Gopal Nagia and GT Ramsamy.

Pali Naidoo and “Jimmy” Padiachee were elected as the secretary and chairman respectively. The soccer legend, Rathie Poonen, served as its patron and “Agie” Poonen as its first coach. Later, clubs from the Witwatersrand Indian Football Association became the cornerstone of the new association, with famous teams such as Daffodils, Moonlighters, Rainbow Aces, Lenz United, Greyville City and Swaraj joining its ranks.

As more families were relocated to Lenasia, the population swelled and the WDIFA re-launched itself in 1966 as the Lenasia Football Association (LFA). Initially, the LFA catered only for senior teams but in 1960, it established a junior section sparking unprecedented growth. By 1965, Athletic FC had been formed - a team that would endure as a local legend. Shortly before, Bluebells United FC was created by a group of young soccer enthusiasts from 12th Street, Lenasia under the dynamic leadership of Vincent Naidoo.

The LFA was instrumental in getting the local sports grounds developed into the Lenasia Soccer Stadium and in resuscitating the Sam-China Cup Tournament. When the LFA refused to affiliate to the racially based Transvaal Indian Football Association and the white-controlled Football Association of South Africa, the racist Johannesburg City Council withdrew it permission to LFA to use the said grounds for fixtures. This led to a protracted battle for the use of soccer fields by local teams such Bluebells.

Bluebells emerged as a flamboyant soccer club in the township and the only South African team from Lenasia later to establish ties with FIFA and to turn professional.

Names like Prega Thandarind, Louis Jeevananthum, Alan Moonsamy, “Big Boy” Kholwane, “Groving” Malope, “Fly” Hassen, Vincent and Basil Naidoo and Suliman “Sulie” Bhamjee remain iconic in local soccer history. Swaraj FC was the second team from Lenasia to join the professional soccer league. Swaraj, originally from Sophiatown, was forced into Lenasia by the Group Areas Act. Under the guidance of the legendary Singh brothers, Swaraj became a formidable force in local football.

Billa Singh, the club’s leader, succeeded in bringing the Soweto Giants FC to play in Lenasia. Swaraj frequently bested powerhouses like Orlando Pirates FC and Moroka Swallows FC, establishing a fierce local rivalry that boosted soccer’s popularity and helped the LFA become a formidable force in non-racial soccer. It affiliated to the Federation Professional League in 1973, thereby setting the stage for intense soccer competition between Bluebells and Swaraj.

On June 23, 1974, at Lenasia Stadium, a first round Federation Professional League derby captured the community’s attention. Though only two points were at stake, pride was the real prize. This match held the excitement of classic soccer rivalries around the world. Swaraj won the nail-biting encounter 2-1, but Bluebells claimed the second leg by the same margin, ending the season on a high note.

Between 1975 and 1978, these teams met ten more times, entertaining capacity crowds with neither side demonstrating clear dominance. With the dynamic growth of two professional teams in Lenasia, amateur soccer itself was boosted. The number of teams that joined the LFA increased from 16 to 40.

Prominent soccer administrators such as Amrit Donald Lall, BG Naidoo, Madhi Kollopen, I Cassim, “Blikkies” Bismilla, “Sam” Bhoola, “Abie” Mayet, “Basie” Kajee, Harry Sukha and Vadivel Pillay played crucial roles in building the LFA into a respected institution. The Transvaal Soccer and Referees’ Association was managed by “Sam” Khan, Muhammad “Boetie” Eshak, Ahmed Essop, Harry Kara, Dan Bhavia and Ismail Waja. In 1974, the LFA joined the non-racial Transvaal Soccer Board. 

In the 1970s, the all-white Johannesburg City Council finally allocated a large tract of land behind the MH Joosub School for sporting activities, which included seasonal soccer and cricket matches. Since then, the LFA hosted most games here. The LFA catered to all age groups, from Under-8s to the First Division.

The construction of the Lenasia Stadium in 1970 was a landmark achievement, hosting Federation Professional League games and serving as home ground for Swaraj and Bluebells. The stadium drew crowds of 15 000 spectators and hosted many soccer tournaments and cup finals. In the mid-1980s, despite efforts by Vadivel Pillay, Dr Ebrahim Seedat and other LFA leaders aligned to the South African Council on Sport to maintain local soccer unity, several prominent administrators founded the Lenasia Soccer League (LSL), with Donald Lall as President.

For a while, the Tech Grounds were shared but the organisational split led to a decline in soccer standards. The fracturing of the LFA was a terrible blow to soccer in Lenasia. Fortunately, unity prevailed shortly thereafter and the LFA and the rival LSL merged, with Amrit Lall serving as Chairman from 1990 to 2005. The local unity process witnessed the revitalisation of soccer in the community.

However, in more recent years the local soccer association has been less effective in promoting a strong soccer culture in Lenasia with several senior teams withdrawing from it and playing fixtures in other localities. Fortunately, this year an effort was made to re-organise the association and it is hoped that the old glory of the LFA will be revived.

Bashir Bagus is a retired teacher and sportsman. 

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