South Africa sport race row intensifies (2 December 1998)

2 December 1998

South Africa sport race row intensifies

Tony Becca

East London - The African National Congress (ANC) is under pressure from opposition parties to leave sport alone and let South Africa be represented by its best sportsmen - be they all white, all black or all coloured.

Controversy erupted in South Africa last week when the South African team selected for the first Test against the West Indies was all white.

Representatives of the black community questioned the exclusion of black fast bowler Makhaya Ntini and coloured spin bowler Paul Adams and said nothing has changed in South Africa.

In response to the mounting criticism, Dr. Ali Bacher, managing director of the United Cricket Board of South Africa, issued a statement on the opening day of the Test match saying he was disappointed "that no player or players of colour have been selected to represent South Africa in this historic Test match".

According to Bacher, the matter was discussed with the selectors - two of whom are black - and according to them, the black players in contention were not selected either because of a lack of form or injury. Bacher also said that the matter would be discussed at the next meeting of the UCBSA on December 5.

On Saturday, however, Steve Tshwete, Minister of Sport in the ANC government, announced the government would interveneg in the selection of South Africa's rugby and cricket teams to ensure a broader racial spread.

According to Tshwete, a transformation commission would be set up to speed up the process of transforming the teams. The commission, said Tshwete, would begin work on April 1, 1999.

The ANC supported Tshwete's stance, with spokesperson Thabo Masebe, saying no one can dispute the fact the national rugby and cricket teams have remained lily-white despite calls for transformation five years ago.

One opposition spokesman, Mike Ellis of the Democratic Party, said merit and merit alone should determine the selection of national sports teams because any other method would make a mockery of competitive sport and would also be an insult to players selected not on merit but because of the colour of their skin.

National Party spokesman on sport, Abe Williams, said it was just another example of the ANC's relentless interference in South African sport and the private lives of millions of South Africans under the banner of that most ambiguous of concepts "transformation".

According to the Freedom Front, forced race changes in sport teams would affect South Africa's ranking as one of the top sporting countries in the world.

Source :: The Jamaica Gleaner (https://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/)