Mbalula Cracks Whip on SA`s Sporting Associations

By Perkins-Tino Bare

South African Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula cracked the whip on Cricket South Africa and Rugby South Africa as they were banned from hosting any major tournaments for failing to meet their own transformation targets of including both players and coaches of color in their structures. In total it is four associations that were banned as Athletics South Africa, Cricket South Africa, Netball South Africa and South African Rugby Union (SARU) were all banned from bidding for any international tournament for the same reason.

"I have resolved to revoke the privilege of Athletics South Africa, Cricket South Africa, Netball South Africa and South African Rugby to host and bid for major and mega international tournaments in the Republic of South Africa as a consequence of the aforementioned federations not meeting their own set transformation targets with immediate effect," Mbalula said when he issued the statement from the Ministry. "I will review this decision when considering the results of the 2016-2017 Transformation Barometer."

Mbalula made the announcement on Monday citing the four major sporting federations’ failure to meet their transformation targets as the reason for his decision to ban them from bidding for any major tournament. The minister was speaking at a gathering of the Eminent Persons Group (EPG) on transformation in sport where he released the findings of data gathered in the 2014/2015 sports year.

According to the findings the five federations, had out of their own volition, signed a Memoranda of Agreements (MoA) with the Department of Sport and Recreation South Africa in 2015,” Mbalula said.

“The MoA is premised on the transformation barometer with clear and concrete transformation targets and goals over the next five years. The MoA further delineates roles and responsibilities of each party to the agreement and stipulates punitive measures to be taken in the event of non-compliance.” He added that whilst 84 percent of the country’s under 18 year old population was Black African and only 16 percent was white, coloured and indian yet they have and still dominate the sports under scrutiny.

According to the set transformation target of the national teams, they were looking at 60% to be generic black (black African, Indian and coloured), and in the context of transformation itself when the associations were asked to hand in their reports they fell way short of the set targets with a number of the minority sports like swimming, rowing still enjoying a dominance of the white race. Its quite surprising that despite the set transformation targets, senior national team levels all of these codes were made up out of 80% or more white athletes. Rugby was at 58% with athletics at 50% and cricket at 45%, but only the four above-mentioned sporting codes got the ban as they are the ones most affected with SARU eyeing the 2023 World Cup.

Mbalula added that the failure by the respective associations to meet their own set targets had called for the government to crack the whip on the associations who will not be able to bid or host any international tournaments until the 2016/2017 transformation results are released.

This recurrence of the race problem in minority sports calls for for transformation and if the associations are failing to meet their own set targets then it surely calls for the whip as they seem to be dragging their feet.

SARU however assured that they will be in line with the transformation targets at the next meeting in a statement released by SARU "Transformation is a key strategic imperative for SA Rugby to remain competitive and to survive in the sports landscape in our country. Our barometer for 2015 shows that we have achieved our target in 11 out of 13 dimensions as agreed with government.

"We have made further progress on and off the field in 2016 to date and over the coming months our commitment to transformation will become even more evident. We are confident that the suspension will be lifted at the next reporting of the EPG."

The associations will now be looking at getting their houses in order as this could have a grave effect on their image as a whole. South Africa has been known for boycotting from sports for racial issue and during the apartheid era they were suspended from numerous sporting dicplines. South Africa was suspended from FIFA in 1963 with Stanley Rous, FIFA's President, going on to negotiate its reinstatement.

The race issue therefore goes back long and this time around its not just Malema threatening to depose the government through the barrel of a gun but these are issues stretching back to apartheid and the associations will have it all to themselves to get their houses in order before the next review.

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