Why is transformation so tough for South Africa’s NetballSA, RugbySA and CricketSA??? Firstly there are 46 African players plying their trade in the English Premier League this season, this is around 9% of the total of 500 players. Every club in the league has an African player. Our very own sports minister Fikile Mbalula has been pushing for more racial diversity and has even threatened RugbySA in stating that if there is no transformation in time for the 2023 bid for South Africa to host the world cup there will be no world cup.
When Mr. Mbalula says DOLOLO world cup he means DOLOLO! The weird part for me is that as an outsider you would expect a reluctance for transformation in Europe since non-whites are the minority but yet clubs there are acting far more robustly than our very own South African clubs in terms of transformation. It is 2016 and the South African demographic is made up majorly of black people and yet why am I not seeing black people in sports?
Representation is vital within any democracy or society. And living within a society that is majorly black, representation is not something I should be endlessly crying for, it is not even negotiable. It is something every human being is entitled and currently the various South African sports are not getting it right, surely as South African people we should forcefully ensure that the space is filled in all aspects of life and remember it is not something we should have to ask for it is time we take it.
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