Durban - A Pietermaritzburg father has served a letter of demand on his son’s school cricket coach for R2.1 million, claiming that the boy suffered damage to his dignity and reputation after being axed from the captaincy of the first team at the start of the school year.
Initially, the father - a lawyer who may not be named to protect his 17-year-old Grade 12 son - took St Charles College to court to force it to reverse its decision, alleging racism.
On Tuesday, school principal Allen van Blerk issued a statement saying “this matter would now be determined by the legal process”.
“Our selection structures will remain independent and we will not allow any parent to dictate the process.
“We are grateful for the sterling efforts of the KZN Inland Cricket Union in attempting to resolve this matter and we will continue to co-operate in the promotion of schoolboy cricket in the region.”
The cricket union had intervened to try to resolve the dispute out of court, but the outcome of this was unclear as the union’s president, Yunus Bhamjee, said mediation was continuing.
The boy’s father declined to comment on Tuesday night.
In the letter of demand, the father wants the money from coach Dave Karlsen for damages suffered by the boy because of the coach’s actions since the boy started high school, but more especially from the beginning of this year.
He said that Karlsen’s “unceremonious” action was “without justification or lawful reason”.
He claimed that since his son had started high school, the coach had negatively interfered in his captaincy of the school cricket team and also ensured that he did not captain the provincial side.
The father added that media reports on the issue had had a defamatory bearing on the boy and were intended to defame and injure his good name, reputation and person.
They would have been read and, or, been made known to about 700 of the school’s pupils, their families and friends and would have reverberated throughout the South African cricketing community.
The father said there was also trauma and psychological damage caused to the boy that had to be taken into account, especially in his matric year.
The father gave the coach until August 2 to tell him how he intended paying the money, failing which summons would be issued.
In his initial court papers, the father alleged that his son was prejudiced because of his race and accused the coach of “being uncomfortable with an Indian boy as captain”.
He believed the decisions by the school would crush his son’s cricket career. The father said the school’s first team was considered prestigious because members were often selected for the KZN Inland Cricket team, placing them in possible contention for selection for the national under-19 side.
The school has not replied to the allegations in court papers.
Van Blerk “categorically” denied that racism played any part in the selection process.
“We reject in the strongest possible terms that we would permit, let alone suggest, that the matter be swept under the carpet. We have restricted our comment in light of our moral and educational responsibility to preserve the dignity of the schoolboy.”
The Mercury