STATEMENT OF THE CASTER SEMENYA SUPPORT TASK TEAM PROGRESS
The African National Congress task team on Caster Semenya has decided to hand over our findings that deals with the redress on the mishandling of the gender verification process of Caster by Athletics South Africa and the IAAF, to the Ministry of Sport and Recreation, for further probing and conclusions. They are better placed to bring closure to this matter.
The task team will therefore remain with the support and celebratory programmes.
Since the establishment of the task team a month ago, the team made strides in establishing the omissions by Athletics South Africa and the International Athletics Association Federation (IAAF).
The team met Athletics South Africa, as the body representing athletes in our country, SASCOC, and the Ministry of Sport and Recreation, amongst others.
Throughout these consultations, the ANC's position about Athletics South Africa has not changed; in fact we are more convinced that ASA and their doctor have a case to answer. They could have handled the matter better. They could have taken the leadership of the country into confidence and avoided lying with regard to their role in this saga.
Our findings reveal that ASA took part in the gender verification process of Caster Semenya. The tests done in South Africa were conducted at their instance. They instructed their doctor to conduct such tests and provided resources including transport, a psychologist (who is one of their board members) to conduct counselling which ultimately was aborted.
In their submission to the task team they were less than honest and very defensive and did not disclose their role in the process and in sanctioning the gender verification tests conducted in South Africa. They intentionally deceived South Africans, the President, Caster and her family. The paper trail exchanged between ASA and IAAF, indicate that there has been mutual agreement between these two bodies to conduct these tests.
ASA should have protected Caster before they left for Berlin and in Berlin. It is not our view that they did so.
ASA must come clean to all South Africans and our government regarding their role in this saga. They must unconditionally apologise to everyone, including Caster and her family. Furthermore, they must declare the tests conducted in South Africa null and void.
With regard to the IAAF, we still maintain that they should apologise to Caster, her family and South Africa as well as to the leadership of the Republic for the violation of Caster's rights and the resultant humiliation. We reiterate our view that IAAF should declare the gender verification results conducted both in South Africa and Berlin null and void.
We are encouraged by the developments around a meeting between the IAAF President, Lamine Diack and our Minister of Sport and Recreation, the honourable Makhenkhesi Stofile, to concretely find an amicable resolution to this debacle.
We also encourage our Minister to institute a mechanism of extracting the truth from ASA regarding their role in the Caster debacle, both in South Africa and in Berlin. South Africa deserves nothing else but the truth.
We are continuing in our role as a support team to give whatever support that Caster and her family might need.
We are also on-course regarding the articulation of a celebration programme for Caster, Mulaudzi and Kgotso. The programme that began with the gala dinner of the ANC Youth League will be carried forward with an intense eight weeks of activities from November to December 2009. The programme will include provincial and national activities.
Statement issued by Jackson Mthembu, African National Congress national spokesperson, October 29 2009
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