IT WAS not just bad. It was not-knowing-where-to-look bad. And the man responsible is rapidly becoming public enemy number one in South Africa.

Reggae singer Ras Dumisani’s hilariously off-key rendition before South Africa played France last Friday had some fans in Toulouse in fits of laughter. However, the Springboks players looked incredulous during the sub-karaoke wailing and later complained that it robbed them of inspiration.

Unfortunately for Dumisani, who was flanked by two bongo players, South Africa takes rugby very seriously. Outraged critics are blaming him for the 20-13 defeat in a heated national debate that is escalating in newspapers, radio stations and Facebook, where one group is called “Ban Ras Dumisani From Ever Singing Again”.

The South African Rugby Union has written to its French counterpart to complain that Dumisani's tuneless attempt at Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika("God Bless Africa" in Xhosa) was "absolutely disrespectful".

This is despite his name having been on a shortlist of artists drawn up by the South African embassy in Paris.

Even politicians are piling in – the Congress of the People called Dumisani’s rendition a “vocal misfire”, saying: “It looked as though it came right out of the blooper reel of a reality TV singing show.”

Springboks player Victor Matfield said: “It was a joke out there. The guys couldn’t sing along to it and even the crowd were starting to laugh. It was very disappointing.”

But Dumisani, a native of Durban now based in France, denies that he hit the wrong notes and got some of the words wrong. “No one told me they were upset with the singing,” he said. “In fact, someone just came up to me and told me how beautifully I had sung . . . the Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika has been my tune since I was a baby. How can I not know the words?”

Guardian Service