Transformation of sport must be bold and thorough

06 November 2015 - 02:28 By The Times Editorial

Merit, standards and experience are some of the words used when the discussion turns to transformation in sport. Yesterday Minister of Sport Fikile Mbalula again twisted his tongue as he tried to argue his way out of the transformation agenda, especially in rugby.Mbalula said all Springbok players were selected on merit and that he was satisfied that the demographics of the team were inclusive.Though we agree with him that we should strive for inclusiveness, we should remember that past exclusion of black players was political and was enforced using state resources. We should also remember that the so-called standards were set to favour certain groups at the expense of the majority.It cannot be that we take another 20 years before talent across the board has a fair chance to wear national colours.Work to transform rugby and other sporting codes should not wait and take centre stage only when we qualify to play international tournaments.We believe a bold and decisive agenda that is not afraid to rattle cages and challenge vested interests should be adopted.It does not help to talk of merit and standards when the playing fields are still stacked against those who were deliberately marginalised. How do you renovate a house that was built to exclude you and still allow its foundation to stand?As long as we adopt a piecemeal approach we will be talking transformation 20 years into the future.Where do you expect to find black rugby players when most townships do not have a rugby field, let alone a sports complex?The government has a responsibility to back up its transformation agenda with delivery of quality infrastructure to all communities.We call on Mbalula and his administration to be bold in their approach and stop applying make-up to the widening cracks in our sporting codes. Change is painful but necessary as we embrace an inclusive future...

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