RACIAL edicts may have blotted out the outstanding achievements of administrators and athletes of colour from generations gone by, but an initiative launched this week seeks to bring into focus those untold stories of excellence.
Former members of the Amateur Athletic Association of Natal (AAAN), which was aligned to the old South African Council of Sport (Sacos), launched their Historical Legacy Project at the Coastlands Musgrave Hotel on Wednesday.
Some of the project objectives are to shed light on the stories, struggles, and sacrifices of KwaZulu-Natal based individuals who navigated the uneven sporting landscape during the apartheid era.
Rishi Hansrajh, a former AAAN president, is spearheading the project that aims to capture and document the sporting organisation’s struggle to promote racial inclusivity in years before South Africa achieved democracy and readmission into international participation.
Hansrajh and the others plan to collect relevant references to competitions, photographs, press clippings, memorabilia, and artefacts to tell the stories of past athletes, coaches, and officials who gamely took on the inequality that existed for much of the 20th century.
Key project objectives include penning a book and establishing other digital channels that would illuminate the achievements.
Such resource material would ensure ease of access to the public, students, researchers, and future generations, and dispel the notion that people of colour in KZN were mere bystanders prior to the formation of unified sports bodies, said Hansrajh.
“A few concerned people found there was limited information on the history of non-racial athletics.
“Nobody knows who we are, yet we had a vibrant sports organisation, with athletes who were competitive and participated under trying circumstances, but nothing to show for it.
“We felt duty bound to set the record straight.”
Some of the outstanding AAAN personalities included Hassan Motala, Kiruben Naidoo, Kramchand Hiraman, Lux Gordhan, Amitha Ramlal, Beverly Peters and Sparkle Bunsee.
Having made the initial call for material in April, Hansrajh said they received “tons of information”.
He pointed out that they respected the rights of people who had material in their possession, all they wanted to do was to ensure it was preserved.
Hansrajh said the initiative was not an idea that sprung to mind overnight.
“This was incubated in 2016 after Wayde van Niekerk’s record.”
Hansrajh was referring to Van Niekerk’s gold medal performance in the Men’s 400m race at the 2016 Rio Olympics, which he completed in a world record time.
It came to Hansrajh’s attention that Van Niekerk was the son of a former Sacos member.
Not only was Hansrajh buoyed by Van Nikerk’s achievement, it also stirred his desire to trace and document the existence and achievements of the AAAN and its people.
Hansrajh said organised sport happened in early stages of the 20th century and by 1946 there were provincial and national bodies controlling the various codes in the provinces that existed.
Another sporting organisation of that era was the Durban Indian Athletics and Cycling Union (DIACU) were also told they could not participate against their white counterparts because they were not allowed to, and were not good enough.
DIACU was always extended invites to black and coloured athletes to their events but that too was not permitted.
At some stage the DIACU morphed into the AAAN, but Hansrajh said they were yet to confirm when the name change happened.
Activist Dennis Brutus from the Eastern Cape spearheaded the formation of the SA Sports Association (SASA) in the 1950s, while there was a banning order against him.
He was eventually forced into exile and moved his activism to an international level, with help from other activists. In 1963 they formed the SA Non-Racial Olympic Committee (SANROC).
A landmark achievement was blocking South Africa from participating at the 1968 Olympic games and their eventual expulsion from the International Olympic Committee in 1970.
SANROC’s proxy in the country was SACOS, which was formed in March 1973, with administrators like Norman Naidoo, Norman Middleton, Reg Hlongwane, Hassan Howa and others present at the Durban launch.
SACOS held firm to the stance of “no normal sport in an abnormal society” and steadfastly maintained their non-alignment to any political or religious bodies.
“We were seen as the sports wing of the liberation movement as we fought to break the barriers governing sport in the country,” said Hansrajh.
When sports bodies unified in 1990 via the National Sports Congress, SACOS opted out because they were not satisfied with the negotiations.
Hansrajh said the AAAN remained and was included in the unified National Amateur Athletics Union, and he became the inaugural president of the body’s KZN wing.
Kiruben Naidoo also appreciated the objectives of the project.
“To honour the people of the past will be a great thing.”
Naidoo, 80, was a fleet-footed sprinter in the 1960’s and 70s and eventually relocated to the UK where got test his ability against some of the best athletes, and he landed some notable victories.
He grew up on North Street, near the Greyville Racecourse, and would often train there, even though he was not permitted to do so.
“I used to lift the panels of the wooden fence and creep in to train there.”
Ironically, later on in life I became a Gold Circle director and a national board member of the SA Jockey Club.
Naidoo bloomed in the 100 metre and 200 metre sprints during his second year of high school and became the Natal and SA high schools champion in the mid-1960s.
He followed that up by becoming the junior and senior champion in Natal and the country.
“In February 1965 my father, Dhanpal Naidoo made an application for me to run against white athletes. He was the head of the AAAN back then, but was refused permission.
“I was also nominated for the 1968 Olympics team. That didn't work out because the powers that be wouldn't allow it, besides South Africa was expelled from games.”
Naidoo said he was invited to the UK by Sir Jack Crump in 1969 and got a work permit arranged for him via the by the Herne Hill Harriers Athletic Club.
During his 15 years in the UK, he competed in various international athletics meetings.
Some of his notable victories included a win over the then world champion sprinter, Harry Jerome, a Canadian, in the early 1970s. He was among other world class runners in 100 metres sprint event held at White City Stadium, London..
Naidoo, who was in his mid-20’s, clocked a time of 10.01, with the world record at the time being 10.00.
He played cricket in the Lancashire league and also qualified as a Test and County Cricket coach at Lilleshall National Centre in England.
“I did a lot of coaching in England and I took up a job as director of recreation in Hertfordshire, Hampstead.”
Naidoo was also prolific at golf and eventually made it into the Masters League.
He returned to South Africa in 1994, won two golf world titles titles as a national masters golf team and he is also a respected businessman.
Naidoo said there was much more opportunities and recognition for youngsters in sport presently.
He said it was unfortunate that people of his generation were not being honoured locally for their achievements.
“I get more recognition from the UK. When London hosted the Olympics (2012) and World Athletics Championships (2017), they gave me invitations and I attended,” said Naidoo.
SUNDAY TRIBUNE