A rainbow rag to a Blue Bull

The Herald Editorial: A bull may well have been let loose in a china shop following moves to change Pretoria- based sports teams’ colours from traditional light blue, the hallmark of Blue Bulls rugby and its massive support base.

The Tshwane Sports Council’s consideration of five emblem proposals that all incorporate white, black, yellow and green without a trace of blue or the Barberton daisy, already has some sports officials hot under the collar with threats to take the matter to court.

While council chairman Bismarck Mosuoe says the implication is the Bulls’ colours would change if a new logo was adopted, team president Boet Fick has shot back that it won’t happen. It’s become a sure-fire guarantee of stormy public debate in this country when changes to emblems – especially in sport – are mooted, as witnessed over the springbok.

Tshwane sports executives are apparently looking for uniformity but the choice of colours similar to those of the ANC has predictably raised eyebrows.

Cool heads are clearly needed when a decision is taken in April, but with the film Invictus currently eliciting tears from those reliving Nelson Mandela’s unifying embrace of the Springboks at the 1995 World Cup, we should perhaps be looking to Madiba for lessons in just how to achieve that.