The minister of sport and recreation Fikile Mbalula took some time out from dabbing with his party and then dissing the DA, to write a tweet that celebrated the achievements of Kagiso Rabada and accused Cricket South Africa of a conspiracy in the same breath.
“Congratulations! kagiso Rabada, I sincerely believe you not gonna disappear after being used like all others who came bfo.” The swing of the tweet is that Cricket South Africa abused black players because of the colour of their skin.
The reasoning is, as ever from the minister, vague, the evidence for others to find. The implication is that black players were set up to fail by being selected for the national team, and that when they did fail were not helped back up.
Congratulations! kagiso Rabada, I sincerely believe you not gonna disappear after being used like all others who came bfo.
— RSA Min of Sport (@MbalulaFikile) July 26, 2016
I think. None of those players were named and none, you suspect, will be.
Keep the facts lean and let the accusation fall where it may. His vagueness does not help black players; it does not give them the support they need. It’s political blather. He could do so much more than just preach.
He could meet Hashim Amla and ask him to talk more about this statement from earlier this year: “Personally, I know the pressure that players of colour go through when they first come into the set up.
"(Amla and Temba Bavuma) both have very similar careers - the first time we do play international cricket, everyone doubts you. Either because of the colour of your skin, even though you’ve got the stats to back it up domestically, everybody doubts you for various reasons.”
You are an outstanding cricketer with many years ahead of you .We luv Kagiso you deserve to win Salute!
— RSA Min of Sport (@MbalulaFikile) July 26, 2016
Rabada is a magnificent athlete, sublimely talented with a wise, old head on those young shoulders. It is hard not to see him as the number one in the world rankings in the not-too-distant future. He will not be used nor disappear.
Bavuma will also not disappear. I believe he will captain the South African Test team soon. He is calm, composed, committed and a little feisty. His chin even juts a little. He’s a small giant of a man.
It would be easy to say Bavuma and Rabada have no need of quotas, a word and programme CSA have tried to disguise and implement in different ways down the years, but, yet, South African cricket and rugby need a harder push in the right direction.
Excellence 👌🏼✊🏾 pic.twitter.com/140RldJxvQ
— RSA Min of Sport (@MbalulaFikile) July 27, 2016
Ncgonde Balfour told CSA in a meeting in 2002, the minutes of which were leaked to the media: “You say black players don’t want to feel like quota players. Tough s**t. It is the media that calls them that. It is for more players than them. If they can’t stand it, they must get out. I don’t care a s**t about that. They must take the pressure like we had to in the struggle.”
They are, former minister, they are. They are not disappearing.
The Star