This is not a review, but it is a little profiled look into the author of a book I’d like to read as it ties into a cricket. In the story of South African cricket, the Langa Township name is rigidly celebrated as the producer of the first Black African captain of the Proteas Test team, who’s journey from the township of Langa to international arenas is often described as history in motion.
When you read into the story of the Captain, you are sure to learn of the quiet hand, acknowledged by many reputable publications as a contributing foundation to the making of Bavuma. Behind the headlines and milestones, often lies another story, that of Tengo Sokanyile, Bavuma’s maternal uncle dubbed as his lifelong mentor, whose influence has been both profound and understated in shaping the player celebrated by the world all over.
We look into the elder who’s cricketer history is anchored in apartheid South Africa, his administrator credentials archived in the minds of his peers at langa Cricket Club, and now, most recently, Author who launched his first book, IQakamba EKapa, which centers on cricket in Cape Town and the identity of the game through the township elder. As Sokanyile himself was part of Langa’s richly complex cricketing tradition alongside his brothers, who all played in the non-racial leagues governed by the South African Cricket Board during apartheid, representing Langa Cricket Club. Those years were marked by exclusion from mainstream cricket structures, but for communities like Langa, the game was not just sport to them, it was their access to acceptance, even by a fraction, and to this day still, cricket represents assimilation into “exclusivity”, an identity, a complex resistance, and a symbol of their hopes and dreams.
By the late 1980s, Tengo and his peers had even attended cricket academies alongside white players such as Andrew Hudson and Daryll Cullinan, despite systemic barriers. His own career may never have broken into the limelight, but his technical grounding in the sport laid the foundation for what he would later pass on to the young captain.
According to reports, it was Tengo Sokanyile and his brothers who introduced the young captain to the game. “I didn’t pick up cricket from watching TV,” Bavuma has said. “It was from the guys in the family”. Tengo, in particular, drilled him in the fundamentals, batting stance, shot selection, and most importantly, discipline.
Over the years, that relationship grew from backyard sessions to deep technical and emotional support. Bavuma himself has publicly acknowledged his uncle’s continued role, recalling long conversations about batting strategy, sometimes held on the golf course, sometimes over the phone.
A mentor in the Shadows, as
Bavuma’s career became the subject of national conversation, whether over transformation, leadership, or batting style. According to reports, Tengo’s role remained deliberately quiet, providing Bavuma with what he claims as “belief without pressure”: a source of steady encouragement in moments of scrutiny.
I picked up an anecdote that may illustrate this dynamic. In 2006, Sokanyile took the 16-year-old Bavuma to a casual “Spin Doctors” club match in Franschhoek. Facing older, established players, the Rodney Reiners Blog suggests that Bavuma’s talent was unmistakable, impressing teammates and opponents alike. That day, Tengo wasn’t just bringing along his nephew, but very much showcasing to the attendees, the next generation of Langa’s cricketing spirit.
While Tengo Sokanyile may have mixed reviews, kwa Langa and its cricket community, one would go as far as asking, who in that cricket community identity doesn’t…
With 2025, it looks like Sokanyile is exploring opportunities to participate in cricket through administrative exploits, and is gearing up for a cricket book tour, with the current media role-out of IQakamba EKapa, I do hope to find myself at a book signing or reading by the end of 2025, perhaps a review of that book would end the year on a full-circle note when it comes to the cricket chapter.
