Outspoken Mamelodi Sundowns co-coach Rulani Mokwena has weighed in on the debate that accompanied Quinton de Kock’s decision to make himself unavailable for the T20 World Cup match against West Indies on Tuesday, saying the Proteas wicketkeeper should have known better.
The 28-year-old De Kock took the decision after the board of Cricket SA (CSA) issued a directive to all the Proteas team members to take the knee before the contest and support the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement.
Mokwena said, given SA’s painful past‚ the cricketer should have understood the importance of the gesture and supported it‚ just like his teammates.
De Kock on Thursday apologised to the nation‚ Proteas skipper Temba Bavuma and his teammates for pulling out just minutes before the start of Tuesday’s match‚ which SA won ahead of their third Super Six encounter against Sri Lanka on Saturday.
Mokwena addressed a football press briefing at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on Thursday afternoon ahead of Sundowns’ MTN8 final showdown against Cape Town City on Saturday. But the De Kock furore has transcended sporting codes and dominated conversation in SA to such an extent that he was asked to offer his views.
Because of where we come from as a country and who we are‚ I think as soon as you represent the nation you than have to move a little bit away from your own personal beliefs and understand the type of nation that you represent.
— Mamelodi Sundowns co-coach Rulani Mokwena
“A very sensitive question‚” Mokwena said. “As soon as it moves away from the sporting context and moves through to racial connotations it is hypersensitive‚ and therefore I have to be extremely sensitive in what I say.
“Sometimes maybe you need a bit of context because it becomes difficult to find conclusions out of context. But my opinion is‚ because of where we are as a country‚ everybody has a right to free speech and the freedom to be able to express what they believe in.
“He (De Kock) could easily say he comes from the background of saying that ‘all lives matter’ and not just black lives. But because of where we come from as a country and who we are‚ I think as soon as you represent the nation you then have to move a little bit away from your own personal beliefs and understand the type of nation that you represent.
“As a nation that is probably the flagship for democracy and supporting the importance of the black culture or the black nation‚ it becomes very important for us to understand that when you’re in that type of space‚ the ideology is that the beliefs must be the nation’s beliefs.
“Therefore I think it was not proper for him to not take the knee.”
Mokwena‚ however‚ commended the former Proteas skipper for apologising on Thursday and clarifying why he took his decision‚ and why he now realises he made a mistake.
“It takes a person of huge character and humility to accept he’s wrong‚” said Mokwena. “Kudos to him for apologising because many wouldn’t and that’s unfortunately the space that we live in. Black lives do matter and we fully are behind that because of the past‚ and it will take a long time for us as a country and maybe as the world to move away from this space of segregation and racial influences.”
Through a lengthy statement released by Cricket SA (CSA) on Thursday‚ De Kock said he understood the importance of taking a stand against racism and the responsibility he has as a national player to set an example.
“I would like to start by saying sorry to my teammates‚ and the fans back home. I never ever wanted to make this a Quinton issue. I understand the importance of standing against racism‚ and I also understand the responsibility of us as players to set an example. If me taking a knee helps to educate others‚ and makes the lives of others better‚ I am more than happy to do so. I did not‚ in any way‚ mean to disrespect anyone by not playing against West Indies‚ especially the West Indian team themselves.
“I was raised to understand that we all have rights‚ and they are important. I felt like my rights were taken away when I was told what we had to do in the way that we were told.
“If I was racist‚ I could easily have taken the knee and lied‚ which is wrong and doesn’t build a better society. Those who have grown up with me and played with me‚ know what type of person I am.”
Mokwena concluded by saying: “The reality again is that the country is bigger than all of us.”
