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The BLM movement has highlighted how societies treat people of color around the world and in South Africa the debate has focused on sport.
CAPE TOWN – The Black Lives Matter movement has forced South African sport to reflect on its post-apartheid history and created rifts between former teammates in a country still trying to come to terms with its racist past.
The BLM movement has highlighted how societies treat people of color around the world and in South Africa the debate has focused on sport.
The discussion has centered on how opportunities were rare for black players in some sports codes even after the fall of apartheid, the racial segregation system that existed in the country from 1948 to the early 1990s.
It has been a public debate that has often gotten ugly and threatens to create further divisions, even between former players of an older generation and those currently featured on the national teams.
When Francois Pienaar, a former World Cup winning rugby captain from South Africa, knelt in support of BLM at a cricket match in July, he was criticized by some former teammates.
Former Springbok accessory Ollie le Roux retweeted a post that compared BLM to worshiping Satan.
Pienaar said he was showing solidarity against “any form of racism and repression,” but the public reaction included death threats.
“I think you have to have a discussion to fully understand black pain, but the other side of the coin is the farm killings that have caused a lot of white pain,” Le Roux told the Sunday newspaper. Relationship, referring to the regular violent attacks on generally white-owned farms in South Africa.
Soon after, eight South African members of the Premiership rugby team, Sale Sharks, did not “kneel” before a match in England, although they did wear “Rugby Against Racism” jerseys.
‘CANCER CALLED RACISM’
The country’s Sports Minister Nathi Mthethwa called on South African Rugby to take action against the players, including the 2019 World Cup winners Faf de Klerk and Lood de Jager, in a sign of the pressure. It will be exercised over sports federations to ensure their athletes comply with the government’s anti-racism message.
“Racism is no longer in the statute books, but some practice it covertly and we say we will go after them because we know the pain caused by this cancer called racism,” Mthethwa said in a statement.
“We are willing to take the necessary steps to ensure that people follow the line and that racists are taught to hug other people.
“If that doesn’t happen, the government will make sure we do what the constitution tells us to do.”
Cricket South Africa, the country’s governing body for the sport, has recently come under fire from various quarters, including former black players, who say black athletes were excluded from the national team.
Other accusations have referred to the mistreatment of black players who were selected, including under the captaincy of current Cricket Director Graeme Smith.
He has vehemently denied any wrongdoing, but the current team recently held a four-day “culture camp” where, among other things, they were able to express opinions on issues related to race and past treatment of players.
“It is extremely important to have discussions about the race, the history and the transformation of the country,” said hitter Rassie van der Dussen in a CSA statement after camp.
“In South Africa, you cannot afford to be oblivious to the past and, in my opinion, you almost border on ignorance if you do not make an effort to investigate the history of our country – the good and the bad.”
Rugby and cricket in the country have been in focus without any action on the field due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but face the prospect of microscopic scrutiny when teams start playing again in the coming months.
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