The South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) joins the country’s media, sporting, and football communities in celebrating the remarkable life and legacy of veteran sports journalist Sy Lerman, who has passed away at the age of 88.
While his death marks the end of an extraordinary chapter in South African journalism, the fraternity of sports writers has described it as also an opportunity to honour a man whose contribution transcended sports reporting and helped shape generations of journalists, football lovers, and storytellers.
For nearly six decades, Sy Lerman occupied a unique place in South African journalism. He was not merely a reporter of sporting events. His peers saw him as a master storyteller who transformed football matches into theatre, players into legends and sporting moments into folklore.
Veteran sports writer Mokwena ‘Kwena’ Kwenaite captured Lerman’s gift most eloquently when he reflected that, “Some journalists report sport. Others write about it. And then there are the rare few who transform it into something altogether more enduring. Sy Lerman was one of those rare men.”
He gave sports journalism colour
His words resonated with countless journalists who grew up reading Lerman’s work in newspapers such as the Rand Daily Mail, where his colourful prose and vivid imagination elevated sports writing into an art form.
Growing up in Saulsville, Kwenaite recalls eagerly devouring Lerman’s football reports, mesmerised by a writer who populated the sporting landscape with heroes, gods, and larger-than-life characters. Through Lerman’s pen, icons such as Kaizer Motaung, Pule Ntsoelengoe, Jomo Sono, Sugar Ray Xulu and Johnny ‘Magwegwe’ Mokoena became part of a grand narrative that transcended the football pitch.
“Sy Lerman did not simply chronicle South African sport,” Kwenaite wrote. “He gave it colour. Brilliant. Irreverent. Human. He gave sports writing character and mythology.”
Like many young journalists of his generation, Kwenaite dreamed of one day following in Lerman’s footsteps. Fate would eventually allow him to share a newsroom—and even a byline—with the man he had idolised from afar. That experience would become one of many stories that illustrate Lerman’s profound influence on aspiring reporters.
‘Don’t scream, just go’
Timothy Molobi, former City Press news editor, recalled the iconic headline ‘Don’t Scream, just go!’, penned by the legendary Lerman. “The fearless sportswriter … never hesitated to speak his mind. Following a string of poor performances by the national football team, Lerman used his platform to demand the dismissal of Bafana Bafana coach Stanley ‘Screamer’ Tshabalala.”
Molobi said the bold commentary famously prompted a physical altercation, with “Lerman receiving a klap from the aggrieved coach, which subsequently led to Tshabalala’s termination”.
However, in an endearing turn of events, the two men later reconciled and made peace, Molobi recalled, adding that Lerman brought the excitement of the stadium directly to people’s homes.
“His immeasurable flair, effortless wordplay and profound passion inspired many aspiring journalists to follow in his footsteps. Indeed, much of my foundational knowledge of South African football can be credited directly to his work.”
A story to tell
Indeed, one of the recurring themes emerging from colleagues and contemporaries following his passing is that everyone who encountered Sy Lerman has a story to tell.
Former colleague Lesiba Langa observed: “We all have a Sy Lerman story.”
That simple statement may be one of the greatest tributes to a journalist whose career was defined not only by exceptional writing but by an unforgettable personality.
To many, Lerman was instantly recognisable. His distinctive hairstyle, his tennis racquet, his habit of arriving late to matches armed with nothing more than a pen and notepad, and his uncanny ability to ask the one question that mattered all became part of newsroom folklore.
As Amos Mananyetso, editor of the Daily Sun, recalls, Lerman represented a generation of journalists whose authority was earned through hard work, knowledge, and credibility rather than personal branding or social media visibility.
He carried the respect of players, coaches, administrators, and fellow journalists alike. When Sy Lerman asked a question at a press conference, people listened. When he wrote, people read. And when he offered an opinion, it carried weight.
His journalism accompanied some of the most significant eras in South African football. He chronicled the rise of legendary players and clubs, covered the game’s evolution across decades, and travelled extensively throughout Africa and the world in pursuit of great sporting stories.
More than reporting results
But his greatest achievement was demonstrating that sports journalism could be much more than reporting results.
Lerman showed that football writing could be literature. It could be history. It could be humour. It could be poetry. He proved that the sports pages could capture not only what happened on the field but also the dreams, emotions, struggles, and triumphs of the people who made the game matter.
Those who worked alongside him remember a fiercely independent journalist with a mischievous sense of humour, an unmistakable voice, and a deep love for his craft. Whether sharing stories in the newsroom, debating football, covering another tournament abroad or arriving from a tennis match to file a story, Lerman remained wholly and unapologetically himself.
That originality is one of the most enduring lessons he leaves behind.
As Kwenaite reflected, one of the most important pieces of advice he received as a young journalist was that he could never succeed by becoming a carbon copy of another writer—even one as gifted as Sy Lerman. Yet it was precisely Lerman’s originality, courage and authenticity that inspired others to discover their own voices.
SANEF recognises Sy Lerman as one of the true giants of South African sports journalism. His work helped define the standards of excellence, creativity, and storytelling to which generations of journalists continue to aspire.
Curiosity, credibility, craftsmanship
At a time when journalism faces unprecedented technological disruption and rapid change, his career stands as a reminder that great reporting will always depend on curiosity, credibility, craftsmanship and a distinctive human voice.
We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, former colleagues, and the broader football fraternity.
As South Africa reflects on a life exceptionally lived, we choose not only to mourn Sy Lerman’s passing but also to celebrate the extraordinary legacy he leaves behind.
A giant has put down his pen.
But his stories, his influence, and the countless journalists he inspired will ensure that his voice continues to echo through South African newsrooms and stadiums for generations to come.
May Sy Lerman rest in peace, knowing that the stories he told have become part of the story of South Africa itself.
