Section 16 of the constitution makes provision for ‘freedom of speech’. South Africans are free to say what they want even when saying it is incredibly stupid. And talking about incredibly stupid - step forward Boeta Dippenaar and Pat Symcox. Boy, where to begin? The condescending tone of their social media posts targeting Lungi Ngidi? The racism? The ‘whataboutism’? What the pair wrote, illustrates a special level of stupidity, and an inability to ask: “Why?” Why did a 24-year-old player, just starting his international career, feel so strongly about including his teammates in talking about why Black Lives Matter? Why are Dippenaar, who is 43 years old, and Symcox who is 60, unable to see what that movement stands for? Why don’t they educate themselves? Do they want to?
NOT NEEDED
Symcox in particular, has loudly called on former Proteas players to be more involved in running cricket in South Africa. But as bad as Cricket South Africa is right now - from an administrative perspective - it will be much much worse with the likes of Symcox running it. That kind of outlook, and thinking doesn’t belong in society let alone cricket. South African cricket doesn’t need Pat Symcox and his ilk involved in running the sport or commentating on it. Freedom of Speech you see, it’s nice, but it requires you to be responsible, and Symcox isn’t.
DIPPA BOETENAAR
As for Boeta Dippenaar, the pilot, his remarks on Ngidi aren’t the first time he’s dipped both feet in dog poo and then had them end up in his mouth. A few years ago, when a much needed debate arose about equal pay for the South African Women’s team, Dippenaar propped himself onto the front foot and unleashed an ill-judged drive claiming women should wait their turn and that they didn’t play or spend time away from home as much as the men. That elicited the following response from the South African Women’s team’s captain, Dane van Niekerk: “There were some comments about us not having any responsibilities, we are home a lot - funny fact I was only home for a month last year. Everyone has their opinions, some support it some don’t. At the end of the day my job is to get women’s cricket where it deserves to be, if that takes time, hard work and some hard conversations then I am happy to have them.” Dippenaar would do well to make himself listen to those conversations in much the same way he and Symcox need to listen to conversations about why Black Lives Matter.
ALMOST TIMED OUT
Cricket SA was a little slow to show its support for Ngidi, releasing a statement one minute before 8pm on Thursday - in which acting chief executive Jacques Faul finally emphatically stated that “Black Lives Matter. Simple as that”. Ngidi and the outrage his well articulated and thought through remarks had engendered had already been a topic for hours - most of the day in fact. Much as it has done with other administrative issues, Cricket SA’s late response spoke badly of an organisation that for too long has appeared out of touch with the country.
WHY BLACK LIVES MATTER
As for this ‘All Lives Matter,’ phrase that has become the defence of the privileged and the self-righteous. As three words on their own, there is nothing wrong with ‘All Lives Matter’. However All Lives haven’t mattered for a very long time - as in hundreds of years. Some lives have mattered more than others. History proves that. And for those hundreds of years the lives of Black people DIDN’T in fact matter. Black people were second class citizens and very often much lower than that in society. If you want to say ‘All Lives Matter,’ make sure ‘Black Lives Matter,’ because for too many black people they haven’t mattered and to this day still don’t.