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MPs demand more black Boks
From Mariette le roux in Cape Town
June 13, 2007
SOUTH Africa's rugby bosses have been hauled over the coals by politicans, over the continued dearth of black players in the national team 13 years after the end of apartheid.
Members of parliament's sports committee lined up to accuse administrators of failing to develop rugby at school and club level, paying lip service to demands for racial transformation, and of "window dressing"' by leaving black players on the bench.
But the sport's executives defended their commitment to change, saying the problem is partly a shortage of black players spread even thinner with the inclusion of a fifth South Africa team in the Super 14 tournament last year.
"Sport cannot be exonerated from the broad picture of government programs," said committee chairman Butana Komphela, a member of the governing African National Congress (ANC).
"Sport cannot be excluded from imperatives of empowerment and transformation," he told executives of the national and provincial teams and the Super 14 franchises.
South Africa is one of the favourites to win this year's rugby World Cup in France, having recently thrashed holder England and producing both finalists in last month's Super 14 final.
But the countdown to the tournament is being overshadowed by criticism of the make-up of the Springbok team, which rarely includes more than four players of colour in its starting XV.
Another ANC MP, Tsietsi Louw, said that black players aspiring to make the national side are running into obstacles that have nothing to do with their ability.
"There is a deliberate political agenda to keep these black players where they are. Only three or four will (succeed)."
Union representatives are "not doing us a favour" by reporting they have three black players on board, said Louw.
"How is it possible that after 13 years we have only three players?"
South African Rugby Union (SARU) president Oregon Hoskins agreed there are problems.
"I am not happy with the pace of transformation," he told the committee.
"We will endeavour to do the best we can in what are sometimes difficult and trying circumstances."
The committee was unimpressed, saying it has been hearing the same things for over a decade.
"The national leadership (of rugby) claims that it has transformation targets in place but reality does not reflect this," said committee member and opposition United Democratic Movement leader Bantu Holomisa.
He proposed a strategy be developed with clear timeframes and targets, failing which "we will meet again here next year as we have done very year for 13 years now asking: 'Where is the transformation?'"
Komphela recently suggested players should have their passports impounded if the squad does not become more representative of the country's ethnic mix, although the idea was quickly shot down by the government.
And a political row is raging in the country after Hoskins intervened in national squad selection to ensure the inclusion of Stormers flanker Luke Watson, whose father Cheeky was an anti-apartheid activist.
His father's struggle roots caused Western Cape provincial premier Ebrahim Rasool to comment that Watson should be considered a black player and given selection preference.
Komphela said overnight such tiffs are demoralising players, and should not be aired publicly.
He stressed that nobody in South Africa wants to take over the political control of rugby, but urged administrators to pull up their socks.
"We need for unions to embrace transformation."
Agence France-Presse
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