Minister of Sport and the UCBSA resolve their differences

CENTURION - The announcement by the United Cricket Board of South Africa on transformation of cricket holds major implications for those entrusted with the task of ensuring the unfettered growth of the sport.

This is the view expressed by sports and political leaders invited by the Minister of Sport and Recreation Ngconde Balfour to meet with the UCB following the announcement by the national cricket body that quotas in national and senior provincial teams are to be discarded.

Among those present at the meeting were MEC's responsible for Sport and Recreation, Mondli Gungubele (Gauteng), Webster Mfebe (Free State) and Siphosezwe Masango (Mpumalanga), ministerial advisors Sam Ramsamy and Mvuzo Mbebe, member of the portfolio committee for sport and recreation in the National Assembly Bheki Ntuli, CEO of the South African Sports Commission Joe Phaahla, chief director of Sport and Recreation South Africa Greg Fredericks, sports administrator Kedi Tshoma and ANC Youth League president Malusi Gigaba and communications head Khulekani Ntshangase.

The UCB was represented by its president Percy Sonn, CEO Gerald Majola, communications director Bronwyn Wilkinson and transformation management consultant Chris Day.

As a result of the meeting, the UCBSA reaffirmed their commitment to the transformation of South African cricket into a truly national sport, representative of all the people of South Africa.

They also reaffirmed their commitment to the vigilance and critical review of transformation based on unlocking the full value of human and material assets in order for the UCBSA to be responsible custodians of South African cricket.

The parties reaffirmed a commitment to give equal opportunities for all to participate so that South African cricket can draw on all its resources to produce teams representative of the demographics of the nation.

The UCB confirmed its understanding that an expectation exists in South Africa that the team that takes the field during the 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup in South Africa will have at least five players of colour. The UCB committed itself to ensuring that a minimum of five black players would be in the South African national squad for the event.

The UCB also confirmed its commitment to the performance agreement signed between it and the Minister, in terms of which the UCB commits itself to transformation and representivity.

Sonn stressed that the UCB acknowledged that the quota system had allowed cricket to reach a level of excellence and representivity and that quotas did not mean non-merit. In turn, "merit" did not apply only to white cricketers, but was a term for excellence of all players. The issue of quotas should be understood as a transformation strategy employed to expedite and achieve a merit-based demographic representation in sport in the country, the meeting agreed.

A ministerial committee has been tasked by Balfour to visit all provinces to test the validity of the claims made by the UCB about transformation in the sport. The UCB welcomed this decision and has agreed to co-operate with the members of this committee.