It may have been his “coaching” of Manie Libbok by drawing an imaginary line on his television screen during a kick, or his dismissal of his wife’s reprimands not to stand with his shoes on their white couch, but fans agree Kabelo Moumakwe has brought gees to the Rugby World Cup.
The 40-year-old Pretoria car salesman’s social media following soared like Libbok’s conversion, with more than 2-million views of an excited Moumakwe switching from Afrikaans to English as his wife interjects in Zulu. They were watching the Bokke clinch a narrow victory during the nail-biting quarterfinal clash against France.
“Kom pappa, ek ken jou” (Come daddy, I know you), “hier kom k*k” (here comes trouble), “vat die bal” (take the ball), “ons het hom by die onderbroek” (we have him by the underpants) and “die Franse is babatjies” (the French are babies) were among comments that had followers in stitches.
Speaking to the Sunday Times, the father of three daughters said he couldn’t describe what was going through his head at the time, but it was all passion.
“That was a big game and a very intense one. I couldn’t even sit down. That was the game of the tournament, and to win with just one point was amazing. My wife [Andile] and I prayed so hard before the game ... it was emotional. The guys were fighting on the pitch and did so until the last minute. It was so unfortunate that it was Sunday night and we couldn’t really celebrate the win,” he said.
Moumakwe said when he posted the video, he didn’t expect it to go viral and was amazed by the reaction.
To those surprised by his commentary in Afrikaans, Moumakwe said even though he is Tswana, he is fluent in the language and loves to “mix it up” during rugby games.
He said the Springboks’ win against France was revenge served on a silver platter after Bafana Bafana suffered a humiliating 5-0 defeat at the hands of France during a friendly match on March 29 2022.
Followers on social media wanted to know where he would be watching last night’s match against England so they could be with him because he brought “gees” (spirit).
Moumakwe said he found it terrifying to watch games on TV, which is why he became hyper-enthusiastic and ended up “coaching”, shouting instructions and encouragement to the players.
“It’s passion. I understand rugby, and I always watch the Springboks when they play. Even though a lot of people would see me in soccer matches, I believe we all have to rally behind the Boks as South Africans. Even when the Proteas play, I support them because they represent me as a South African. Sports as a whole has the power to unite everyone, and we rejoice together,” he said.
His love of sports started at a very young age, when he used to go to a soccer stadium with his brother. He became a huge Kaizer Chiefs fan, always at the stadium to rally behind them.
“I will say that in a season of more than 30 games, I would miss maybe one or two games, but I always travel wherever they go. If I don’t have money for petrol, I take a bus and stay on the road for hours. I also travel for Bafana Bafana games.”
Moumakwe would have loved to be in France to rally behind the Springboks, and even though followers offered to donate money for him to attend the game, he didn’t think it would work out financially.
Andile is very much an introvert but nevertheless understands her “dramatic” husband, and the videos they share on social media are just a glimpse of what she experiences when watching a match.
“I was just taking a video of him since it was a tense moment and he was all over the place. I didn’t know he was going to get on top of the couch. At some point, I wasn’t even focusing on the video I was taking because I was more worried about his feet on my white couch.
I will say that in a season of more than 30 games, I would miss maybe one or two games, but I always travel wherever they go. If I don’t have money for petrol, I take a bus and stay on the road for hours. I also travel for Bafana Bafana games.
“I was worried that it was going to break. I was looking at the couches and thinking we have to wash them on one of the weekends when he is not there,” said a laughing Andile.
Moumakwe and Andile have been married since 2019.
She said her husband was an entertainer and loved making people laugh, describing him as a “loving, hardworking and caring husband and father” to their three children.
Kabelo’s boss, Brandon de Beer, manager at BP Nissan Hatfield, described him as a dedicated employee who loved making people laugh and always shared jokes.
“He is a very passionate person, whether in his job or his love of sports. As long as he does his job, we all support him and give him the freedom to travel for games. He knows what he has to do and what target to reach before we allow him to go to his games. He is a lovely person who is always interacting with people and being the centre of attention. There is always laughter when he is around,” said De Beer.
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