- Proteas white-ball skipper Temba Bavuma believes it's no use tiptoeing around the issue: this group of players are also so-called chokers.
- He argues by embracing the tag in a manner of speaking could allow the team to remedy the situation by simply focusing on winning an ICC tournament.
- Director of cricket Enoch Nkwe has pledged solution-driven structures to support the team in that mission.
Temba Bavuma has, in a seemingly strange case of reverse psychology, suggested that the Proteas will need to embrace their "chokers" tag to an extent in order to finally break the curse.
South Africa's infamous habit of "asphyxiating" when the stakes are at their highest in ICC tournaments once again reared its head vividly following a shock loss to the Netherlands last weekend, a result that eliminated them from the T20 World Cup's race for a semi-final spot.
The Proteas hadn't lost to the men in orange in six previous meetings.
With next year's 50-over showpiece in India less than 12 months away, they need to exercise those mental demons summarily.
That is assuming they actually get there as a pressure-laden, last-gasp period for automatic qualification looms as well as the very real possibility of having to go to Zimbabwe in May to participate in the qualifying tournament.
Nonetheless, Bavuma has made peace with the label sticking to him and his teammates.
"I don't believe it's something we need to shy away from. It's not something we need to pull water over," he said upon the team's arrival from Australia on Wednesday evening.
"The one thing we have to accept as a current group is that we're going to have to carry the chokers tag again."
His thinking perhaps emanates from the fact that if South Africa are going to shed their unwanted reputation, the remedy is a simple one ... at least on paper.
"The way to overcome it is to see to it that you get yourself into a final of an ICC competition and win it," said Bavuma.
"That's the only way we'll shed this. In five years' time (when South Africa hosts the 2027 50-over World Cup), I hope the guys on duty won't have to deal with it and that they can achieve something for this nation.
"As a leader, this tag is something I'll have to carry too until we do something different."
While broadly supportive of the national skipper's inclination to keep calm and carry on, Enoch Nkwe, Cricket South Africa's director of cricket, is more inclined to find cricketing solutions than preoccupy himself with perceptions.
"There's a lot of work behind the scenes and what we are all working towards is getting our national teams to reach No 1 and win World Cups," he said.
"We are now at the point where we can make a difference and that will be our focus. There's so many opportunities as an organisation to change it all. Hopefully next year we can be in a different position celebrating our team winning a World Cup."