You put the slime in the coconut — you drink it all up … Sports and recreation portfolio committee chairperson Butana Komphela has demanded that any players who rose up against Norman Arendse’s insistence that the cricket squad to Bangladesh be more in line with transformation be given their marching orders.
Once again I feel compelled to explain why quotas and tokens are the enemy of transformation.
Simply put, South Africa’s three major sports are receiving billions in terms of sponsorships, television deals and the many other streams of income available to them.
Despite South Africa having been a multiracial democracy for 14 years, a trickle — if that — of this money is finding its way to the youth of this country. The overwhelming bulk is going to the usual suspects.
Soccer has already owned up, and rugby and cricket will soon have to follow.
Millions and millions of our youngsters, of which the overwhelming majority are black, are not benefiting from the wealth of this country’s sporting bounty.
If we allow Komphela, Arendse and the like to demand quotas, then they can tell us that transformation has been achieved. How? By showing black faces in our sports team while telling us that we must accept defeat while “transformation kicks in”. In reality, had they spent the money, we’d be drowning in competition from the wealth of black talent going untapped.
It’s exactly the opposite effect: if they aren’t forced to explain why the money is not finding its way to the grassroots and why we aren’t seeing an abundance of black talent coming through because the teams look transformed, then they can go on making token amounts available to development.
If they are forced to explain the real reason why the demographics of this country aren’t translating into numbers in our national teams, then the real crime will emerge: failure to spend the money on development.
Of course, failure to acquire the sports television rights for the national broadcaster where most of our black youth follow sport is a shining example of this. Why waste all that money when we have overseas trips, functions and all the other unnecessary garbage to fund? I’m sure the kids of Mamelodi are happy to mortgage their future in order to fund all the outrageous spending by administrators. How about that R7-million that went missing from cricket’s coffers? I’m sure that could have bought the kids in Soweto a few pitches and equipment. Instead we have to hear how it was spent during a trial in the commercial crimes court.
Well, Mr Komphela, on the return of the Proteas from their tour from Bangladesh, while you are demanding the heads of our sporstmen, I will be demanding that the books of the three major sports of this country be laid open for inspection. Also, all administrators must make available their personal expenses and the income they earn from their positions within those bodies — I include you and your committee, of course.
By the way, as head of a sports body I plan to spend a bit of time asking your “valued” panel about sportsmen and -women who represent our country. You guys must be steeped in sporting knowledge — I know you’ve steeped in something because this thing stinks to hell.
In addition, I want an audited account of the money reaching the youth of our country and a comparison made with the amounts going to administrators and other useless nogshleppers.
How dare you say that sport is the great unifier of the people of this country while preaching disgraceful racism under the guise of transformation?
Start to deploy our assets where we want them — at the grassroots — and put your disgusting racist views where the sun doesn’t shine.
As South Africans, it is time to demand that the crime of the century be exposed. What happened to our lost generation of young sportsmen while the administrators were partying?
agree full heartedly!
It is now time to take these administrators to task! We have diligently supported cricket and rugby with our tickets… I have heard many whites echo the thought….
“if we where good when only 10% of the nation played – imagine what we are going to be like when all the nation plays?” But that was 10 years ago and now we are not seeing more sparkling habana’s and chester williams. We have damn well been paying the gate fees, and the players and coaches have been hitting the balls….
So what the hell have the mickey mouse administrators being doing – where is the development we ask?
Lets call for total cricket stay away – players and spectators — untill this bunch can give definite budgets and plans that are realistic, and will be effective in bringing more South African players of all colours onto the fields.
Are we that foolish that we allow them to divert blame for their failures onto the coaches and players (black & white)
I support the call for a national inquiry into the application of funds to the development of these sports? what percentages are being utilized, what criteria are used for investment, and when and how is the effectiveness of these campaigns measured, so that they can be remedied or modified?
Who is responsible for development in the structures? How is their performance rated?
Add your voices and let’s have these fools audited?
Just playing rugby and cricket and black schools would achieve more than anything else we could ever do. If there is a shortage of coaches I, and i am sure many more like me would happily coach a black school team.
Similarly i notice that all the youth rugby in SA is played in schools, but few rugby clubs seem to have youth teams. If the schools cant or wont play rugby maybe the clubs themselves can do something.
Ultimately, of course, people must want to play rugby, and we must accept that here (as in Europe) rugby will always be a minority sport as compared to soccer, so we are unlikely ever to achieve the transformation the government wants (the team reflecting the exact racial profile of the population)
Govt. supports Arendse :
http://www.news24.com/News24/Sport/Cricket/0,,2-9-839_2277988,00.html
“Transformation not negotiable” – Problem is putting tokens in is the very reason we aren’t seeing transformation.
Why bother with development when you can keep the cash and just artificially ensure the numbers.
We lose the games and our youth are denied the help.
But the administrators get to go on holidays, spending sprees and entertain to their hearts content.
They must mean a “heart transformation”.
In most of the black schools the teachers and the pupils go home at half-past two. No sports coaching at all is on offer in the afternoons and over weekends as a voluntary, unpaid activity by the teachers. In most of the former white schools it is taken for granted that all teachers will coach a winter and a summer sport and that their working day ends after five o’ clock at least twice a week.
Amused, its amazing how many young kids i know who get EP/WP or SA colours at high school from both “model c” and darkie schools. What happens is that these kids knock their fro’d heads against that stinking glass ceiling the Bhutana’s and the Khoza’s create and then there’s no more for them.
There’s a coach here in PE who does excellent work for rugby development. He sourced some foreign funding for additional training. The administrators wanted his head since he didn’t disclose this rich contact he found and he didn’t invite them so they could stick their grubby fingers in the proverbial jar.
the moral of the story, them players said they’d go if their coach was fired. but this is the same shit Bhutana is preaching. if you don’t march in tandem to General Khompela you choose short sleeve or long sleeve. What kind of drivel is that in 2008 liberated South Africa.
Very soon we’re gonna start being embarassed and get some white skins like Michael Jackson because of ignorant louts like Mr Komphela.
I agree that development is the key and that funding should be strictly monitored to ensure it reaches the intended levels. However, having heard Mr Arendse state his case during a radio interview, it seems he was simply following through on an agreement made by all involved as to the numbers, as per his mandate. I also have heard that he isn’t paid at all for his role in Cricket SA — is this correct?
Hoorah! Someone brave enough to speak out. If only they’d hear us, and take it to heart…
If administration could stay out of the make-up of teh national side until such time as “transformation” has truly happened from grass roots up, then we’d all be much happier South African. Let the BEST players play on the day, regardless of their colour. Perosonally, I don’t care if the entire SA Cricket side is of colour, as long as every man there is the best player for their job.
If schools, varsities and clubs were being given sufficient funding to train and promote sports in the areas where they are needed, transformation would take care of itself.
I wish the administrators would do their job, instead of worrying about everyone else’s!
Totally agree with you Traps..thanks for verbalising the disgust that I am sure all people across the political and social spectrum think of these brainless,ignorant and leacherous louts that shout and demand ,like spoilt,indulged children, from the sidelines.
All this energy from the above commentators..I commend you..but hell,if only this could be translated into action ! “Toy-toying and getting beyond just writing”…maybe we still have a way to go ! Angry
Bloody good point, Michael. And well said about the “corrupt” use of sporting funds. There has to come a time when good management practice, and not some “anti-colonial” or BEE rhetoric, is shown to be the way forward. Till then we have to listen to this nonsense.
Excellent post
One sure fire way to get the development in underprivileged communities moving is for the sponsors to really flex their muscles. Unfortunately this involves the “captains of industry” going head to head with the politicians so do not hold your breath.
Imagine a private sector sports foundation funded by some of the sponsors money and run by professional managers of high integrity whose sole purpose is to develop sport amongst township youngsters.
Schools don’t need “funding”. Well, yes they do, but that’s only a small part of the problem.
The thousands of black schools who shut at 2.30pm and whose teachers go straight home to a quiet beer rather than stand around in the wind and rain and sun until 5.30 thrice a week trying to teach kids how to bowl an off-cutter or pack down in the front row or put top-spin on a return of serve…
THERE is your development that just isn’t happening.
THERE is the reason that the white kids who go to schools where their teacher-coaches (few of whom are truly expert) put in the hours of effort which end up producing the next crop of far too-white for the ANC’s taste of Proteas and Springboks.
It’s EXPECTATION rather than money and facilities that’s in the shortest supply.
Good point Traps. The idea is to get them involved young. I played my first cricket game at 9 and rugby game at 12. Those two sports are a part of me to this day. I love the Sharks more than any other sports team. The point is, we’ll never see proper transformation unless the SARUs of this world are prepared to do their grass roots jobs properly.
Arendse told any repeat of racist selections and you’re out :
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=6&click_id=4&art_id=vn20080301094144424C879110
Butana, you are a sick twisted oak. You are the true racist around here. Come right, looks like you are still in the days of apartheid. You can say what you want but black or white, there will always be fricktion no matter what you do. The problem of today is if black are making racist remarks it is regarded as poor past and all that crap. If a white person makes a racist remark then it is a big thing because racism againt the black are not over and the poor black and what what. Get over it.We must all work together to make a better South Africa for all. I`m white and work with people of different races, and I`m telling you we all have respect for one another you wont believe this is in South Africa. Did you realise that it is 2008, or are you just one of those guys that makes a big fuss about all just to get the bosses attention that you are “doing your job”.