From Khayelitsha to Upington, Saldanha Bay to Pretoria….There is not a single soul in the Western Cape and the broader South African football fraternity that has not been touched by the “giant tree” that has fallen in Vincent Daniels, better known as ‘Bra Vince’.
It must be said that it came as a shock when the news was received that Daniels, president of the Sports against Crime Initiative in South Africa (SACSA), succumbed to his illness at his residence in Strand on Monday. He was 75 years old.
Daniels, a former striker for Boksburg Pirates was tall and imposing in stature, yet he had a first touch as delicate and soft as his soul. Yes, no one can deny that Daniels was a true role model who cared for his fellow human beings unconditionally.
What many might not know is that Daniels, a humble and generous individual, joined the police force during the seventies and later the army where he played football for the South African Cape Coloured Corps upon his arrival in Cape Town in 1976.
As luck would have it in 1979, Daniels was spotted by an international scout known just as “Lyle” and jetted off to West Ham United in England. Daniels was immediately granted leave from the army for two and a half years while he was on the books of West Ham where he played against icons of the beautiful game like the late Pele and other greats.
When the sports brand Adidas got word of Daniels’ rise to fame, they immediately signed him up as his official sponsor. During his time in the United Kingdom Daniels also upskilled himself in the coaching and administration side of the game.
Unfortunately, Daniels’ pro career never took off, but in hindsight, his true calling was in his native country where he ploughed back to the less fortunate – and what better way than doing it through football and sport in general. Upon his return to SA he started training and developing impoverished children to play the beautiful game.
Our website was also informed by one of Daniels’ sons, Rodney, that his father was also involved with rugby. “We were very young and didn’t know all about my dad’s doings,” Rodney explained to No Bones with Jones. “He was also involved with a boxer called Nika Khumalo. with many other sports like cricket as well,” Rodney added.
Daniels also used his influence and charisma to achieve impossible feats…. like when he brought Kaizer Chiefs to play on a farm in Grabouw in the nineties against all odds.
Everyone thought that Daniels lost the plot when he announced his intentions to bring the Amakhosi at their peak at that time in 1995 with players like Doctor Khumalo and Shakes Kungwane in the team, to rural Cape Town.
Daniels did just that where a rural development side featured against the locals – all for the community of Grabouw and surrounding areas. Similarly, he took children from his community to play a curtain raiser for Bloemfontein Celtic versus Chiefs in a Cup game at the Sisa Rambouda Stadium.
Daniels also held many soccer clinics and events in conjunction with the South African Police Services (SAPS) and held many events in poorer communities, as he loved seeing everyone happy and felt like everyone deserved a chance in life.
He hosted several sports days for various schools in most of the provinces across the country which was always a success. He was also the ambassador for South Africa when the country hosted the Homeless World Cup in 2009.
Daniels was also awarded two Golden Boot awards from Adidas, one in the seventies and the second in the nineties for his contribution to the game.
In recent times Daniels has been very involved with the schools’ sport trying to ensure a safer school environment while trying to level the playing fields for the future generation. With the impact Daniels made for decades it is fair to say that he leaves a void that will be impossible to fill.
Daniels is survived by his wife, three children, one son-in-law, two daughters-in-law and six grandchildren. The funeral service will be held at the Old Apostolic Church which is situated on the corners of Broadway Road and Broadway Boulevard, Strand on Saturday (21 December).
