Pretoria - South African Minister of Sport Fikile Mbalula has brushed off the threat of legal action by interest groups against his transformation plan for sport in the country, saying this was to be expected from “groups of backward extremists who masquerade as representatives of the South African people”.
Mbalula caused a stir recently when he revoked the privileges of several sporting codes to host or bid to stage any international events, due to a lack of transformation.
Afri forum must understand that we SAs we have an unquestionable right to be free we don't beg . "Let freedom reign liberate all our pple"
— RSA Min of Sport (@MbalulaFikile) June 1, 2016
Civil rights group AfriForum and trade union Solidarity have threatened to institute legal action in response to Mbalula's hard line against the sporting codes, including rugby, cricket, athletics and netball.
Earlier this week, the two organisations indicated that they would lodge complaints with various international organs and take their case to the country's Labour Court as they believed Mbalula's actions were an indication of government interference in sport. On Wednesday, Mbalula responded to the threats, saying:
Transformation and equity are the defining tenets of our constitution,So Afri forum stands for the opposite.
— RSA Min of Sport (@MbalulaFikile) June 1, 2016
“The threats by the AfriForum and Solidarity are not surprising, they are expected from groups of backward extremists who masquerade as representatives of the South African people.
“These groups do not represent our people, or their interests, but are driven by their desire for our country to remain in the past and fail to embrace a future we envision and seek to build through the measures we have put in place.”
“Any group that threatens to challenge the decisions we have made to transform sport is threatening the future of South Africa. For that reason, the Department of Sport and Recreation South Africa will defend any challenge by AfriForum and Solidarity that attempts to slow our transformation trajectory.”
He made it clear that he was not going to back down and said: “Those whose feet are rooted in the past will not be pleased by these measures.”
Forward !with transformation in sport forward! #NoRetreat
— RSA Min of Sport (@MbalulaFikile) June 1, 2016
Mabula said it was telling that instead of going to the Constitutional Court, the two organisations had opted for the Labour Court. “Transformation, equity and redress are the tenants of our Constitution, AfriForum and Solidarity stand for the extreme opposite.”
On April 25, following the announcement of the results of the third Eminent Persons Group (EPG) Report on Transformation in Sport Report, Mbalula revoked the privileges of the sporting codes because they had failed to meet transformation targets.
African News Agency