Drum Magazine social history photographs, South Africa edition 919

Political Football: Oliver Reginald Tambo. Non-white political leaders, banned from doing much else, enjoy a lively game of soccer. Nimble attorney Oliver Tambo (with the ball), of the law firm Mandela and Tambo, guides the ball through the proper channels. The backroom boy of Congress was one of the veterans' star turns. Non-white politicians are complaining of being kicked around, and being used as 'political footballs' so, the other day, these gentlemen decided to do a bit of kicking around themselves and got down to some 'strictly recreational' football at Mia's farm, near Johannesburg. "The most remarkable game I've ever seen" was the comment of Dan Twala, the referee for the match, which was between the Veterans and Youth. Most of the Veterans were banned men (though some political veterans had been banned even from playing football). Veterans of course won 1-0, after half an hour's devastating play, November 1953.