Sewsunker Sewgolum

Among the professional golfers invited in 1964 from the subregion was a South African golfer of Indian origin. Sewgsunker “Papwa” Sewgolum became a professional golfer by chance. Being non-white in apartheid South Africa he could not play golf on whites only golf courses then. He could only go to the golf course to be a caddy. However, as a child he had been gifted a Syringa stick by his father who was a municipal grass cutter in Durban. With this stick he imitated golfers in the nearby course ever since this time. And then he became a caddie, the closest he could get to proper facilities. As caddie he won many non-white tournaments that were contested between caddies.

It while he was a caddie that an opportunity arose in the company of white golfers and one in particular called Andrews together with his companions. At the fifth hole Andrews played a poor shot and he turned to his Indian caddie for advice on what club he should use for his approach shot to the green. The Indian man sniffed the breeze and looked at the 145-meter distance marker and selected a 6-iron. Andrews took the shot but he was short of the green. And with frustration he yelled at the caddie, “you call yourself a first class caddie?” the Indian lowered his head and started walking towards the club house.

Andrews yelled again, “Hey man where do you think you are going?”

“To the club house sir, to get you a first class caddie.”

Andrews was shocked but restrained his frustrations. “What’s your name?”

“Papwa.”

“What made you so sure that a six iron was the club for the shot?”

“I play a bit sir”

Andrews picked up the a six-iron and thrust it challengingly in his direction. Papwa took the six-iron and made a practice swing, while Andrews and his colleagues burst out laughing because of his grip (the “Baboon Grip”) where the left hand is below the right hand in a right handed stance.

The Indian swung the six-iron back with a well-coordinated motion, sending the ball to its zenith and dropping some four meters beyond the flag and back within a foot of the hole. The white men gaped with amusement and shook the Indians hand.

In May 1959, Wulff, who was his employer since the six-iron incident as he had witnessed the incident, and had allowed Papaw to practice his golf. He took him to the United Kingdom to play in the British Open. He failed to make the cut for the final two rounds, He then took him to the Dutch Open which he won that year and the following year.

Finally, with pressure on the segregation laws, Papwa was allowed to play in the Natal Open in his home country, but was not allowed in the Whites Only interior areas like the Bar and the Change rooms.

In 1965, he played and won the Dutch open for the third time and the National Party in South Africa won the elections. Papwa Sewgolum was banned from the Natal Open, his passport revoked and denied the right to play golf. Such were harsh realities of Apartheid.

Sewsunker” Papaw” Sewgolum was born on 12th December 1928 and died a pauper in 1978 aged 49. He was the winner of the Cock’O’ North in 1964 at Ndola Golf Club. His legacy lives on through a golf course named after him in Durban.

Adopted from: https:// en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/sewsunker_ Sewgolum