Springbok win is not a cure-all, but let's celebrate, says Phumzile van Damme
The DA's communications shadow minister, Phumzile Van Damme, says the Springboks' Rugby World Cup (RWC) win may not cure “all our problems”, but has asked South Africans to celebrate the team and not be divisive.
The Springboks defeated England 32-12 at the International Stadium Yokohama, Japan, on Saturday to win their third world cup title.
Acknowledging the number of black players in the team, Van Damme said more needed to be done to ensure the team was a true reflection of SA's demographics, but said divisiveness was not helping.
There is so much more SA Rugby can do to make their teams more inclusive & that is a useful conversation to be had. There are too many young Siya Kolosis out there who need to be uplifted. But the vitriol and divisiveness, not useful. Racial Laagerism has never helped anyone
— Phumzile Van Damme (@zilevandamme) November 4, 2019
Many celebrated the team's victory on and off social media, but some said the squad was a misrepresentation of SA's demographics and called for the inclusion of more black players.
The EFF's Mbuyiseni Ndlozi and musician Ntsiki Mazwai have been vocal on the matter. Ndlozi said there was no reason to celebrate the “lie” that is SA's victory, while Mazwai said the “Afrikaans men have done the unthinkable to exclude black boys from playing”.
It is actually tragic that you get excited to have minority black representation when blacks are a majority in this country; in AFRICA! Mxm... till when will you live a lie?
— Mbuyiseni Ndlozi (@MbuyiseniNdlozi) November 2, 2019
I Will Not Play Along With You
— #Qhawe OUT NOW (@ntsikimazwai) November 2, 2019
Fuck the Springboks kahle kahle
#RugbyWorldCupfinal pic.twitter.com/HgC6yZ5wyh
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