ANCYL threatens to disrupt rugby games

NEWS/POLITICS / 

12 May 2016 at 07:08am

By: Yolisa Tswanya

Cape Town - In its fight for transformation in rugby and other sports, the ANC Youth League has vowed to disrupt rugby games until transformation quotas were met.

The group also promised to deter rugby teams from travelling at airports until transformation had been realised in rugby.

Transformation in sport has been in the spotlight recently after Sport and Recreation Minister Fikile Mbalula announced that South African sports teams would not be able to bid to host international events until transformation quotas had been met.

The youth league held a peaceful demonstration outside the SA Rugby Union (Saru) offices in Plattekloof, Cape Town, on Wednesday.

When the group tried to approach the offices to hand over a memorandum, however, police fired two stun grenades to prevent them from advancing further.

ANCYL secretary-general Njabulo Nzuza said they want to see the “young talent that is in the townships playing in the Springbok team”.

“We are saying the Springbok rugby team is not a holy cow for white supremacy, and we know that talent is out there.

“The problem is they don’t have an appetite to go and search for that talent, and when that talent is recruited, it is sabotaged within the sporting codes.”

Nzuza said they would go as far as buying tickets to games in order to disrupt them. “This is just a warning shot. We are going to continue until they have transformed. If it means we must go to rugby fields and disturb games, we will do that, to make sure they transform. If it means we must stop the team playing, we will go to the airport.

“They must meet transformation quotas within the space of a year.”

Former Saru rugby player Aslam Toefy, who took part in a series of transformation talks co-ordinated by Labyrinth Consulting last year, said he had hoped some change would have been visible, but nothing had materialised.

“We have moved, but not far enough. There must be new policies for sport. The old policies don’t work. They must look at sport in townships. Our youth is not coming through. We want new policies, it’s a new nation. We want a South African rugby team. As far as I am concerned, the Springboks must go.”

Toefy said equal opportunities needed to be afforded to players and added this should be the last time they fight for transformation.

“It is never going to be that a white Springbok team represents us or a few people who are picked just to window-dress. We will be picked on merit and be represented in the national team. We have the talent, we have the players.”

Saru senior manager for government and stakeholder relations Khaya Mayedwa received the memorandum outside the office complex and said the rugby body would look at it and reply in due course.

“This will give us the opportunity to give you an insight of the magnitude of work Saru has done and the strides we have made,” he said.

Francois Davids, a member of the executive council, said they needed the help of organisations like the ANCYL to make transformation possible.

“Rugby is transforming in South Africa, we have made big strides in transformation. We need other organisations to get on board so they can see what has been done.”