Plea for ‘unconditional support’ in sport

Cape Town - 150902 - Pictured left to right is Peter de Villiers, Liz McGregor, Max Fudzani, Judge Siraj Desai, Nadeem Hendricks, Anne Siroky and Aslam Toefy. A debate on transformation in rugby took place at the Trafalgar High School. Reporter: Porchia Olifant Picture: David Ritchie

Cape Town - 150902 - Pictured left to right is Peter de Villiers, Liz McGregor, Max Fudzani, Judge Siraj Desai, Nadeem Hendricks, Anne Siroky and Aslam Toefy. A debate on transformation in rugby took place at the Trafalgar High School. Reporter: Porchia Olifant Picture: David Ritchie

Published Sep 3, 2015

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“I want to salute Wayde van Niekerk. Wayde van Niekerk is the second Peter de Villiers. But if we don’t give him the support systems, he will disappear just like I disappeared.”

That is how former Springbok coach Peter de Villiers highlighted the challenge facing transformation in sport during a discussion hosted by Independent Media at Trafalgar High School on Wednesday night.

The lack of transformation in sport was highlighted following the Boks’ shock 37-25 defeat to Argentina in Durban during the recent Rugby Championship, as coach Heyneke Meyer had selected just two black players – Tendai Mtawarira and Bryan Habana – in the starting line-up.

There were three other black players on the substitutes’ bench – Trevor Nyakane, Siya Kolisi and Lwazi Mvovo.

Meyer included eight players of colour in the 31-man Springbok squad for the Rugby World Cup, starting on September 18 in the UK.

The panel during last night’s discussion comprised De Villiers, legendary SA Rugby Union (Saru) lock Aslam Toefy, writer Liz McGregor, Trafalgar High School principal Nadeem Hendricks, former SA No 1 volleyball player Anne Siroky and Max Fudzani, who is a special adviser to Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula.

During the discussion, which was co-ordinated by Judge Siraj Desai and titled “Taking Stock of Transformation in Sport Generally and Rugby in Particular Since Unification”, De Villiers said that “my generation” needed to stand up against injustice in the sporting arena.

He mentioned the plight of 400m sprinter Van Niekerk, who clinched a gold medal in the IAAF World Championships in Beijing last week. “It’s sad that we sit here 20 years after democracy to debate this. When our president (Oregan Hoskins) announced me as a “regstellende aksie coach” (affirmative action coach), our people didn’t stand up against that,” De Villiers said.

“When the newspapers took me out, they never said I don’t have the technical skills to do the job. They said bad things about me. If we didn’t win, then they would say ‘blacks can’t do it’.

“Wayde (Van Niekerk) must be the hope for our children, so that they don’t sell drugs on the streets.

“I will stand up for what I believe. If someone had to tell me, ‘Peter, you are off track’, then I would’ve done a better job. Forget about social media, be a social fighter.”

Toefy said that sportsmen in poorer communities were not given the platform to excel due to a lack of facilities in their areas. “I played for 14 years at the Green Point Track for Western Province, where there were gladiators who died on the field. But the sad part is that our people are still playing (at such venues), in the backyards.

“Our top players are sent to privileged schools, instead of being helped to develop their talent in their own communities and improving other players. Rugby and sports are dead in schools.

“Bring back those structures and develop people at our facilities. Nelson Mandela said we have a rainbow nation free of racism, but I haven’t seen it.”

Judge Desai noted that “The real issue is that we have we begun the debate to address the imbalances of the past. We are confronted with the imbalances of the past.

“The majority of this country is still ignored for leadership roles in sport in South Africa.”

McGregor laid the blame for the lack of transformation in rugby at the feet of Saru, stating that “teams are white because schools develop Boks, not Saru. Schools and unions have money to buy top players”.

Fudzani said that the Sports Ministry had come to agreements with the different sporting federations with regards to transformation.

“We will argue for more funding at cabinet level. Many relics of the past are trying to derail transformation, but the charter must be implemented.

“The federations have to ensure that their targets are met. If not, we will withdraw their rights to host big events and withdraw our money, flag and national colours.” - Cape Times

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