Chuene is trying to pass the buck
On September 13 I wrote to the chairperson of the portfolio committee on sport and recreation to request that Athletics South Africa appear before the committee as a matter of high urgency. The chairperson agreed, on September 16, to call Mr. Chuene and ASA before the committee. Subsequently, on September 18, the Mail & Guardian published documentation which showed quite conclusively that Chuene had shamelessly lied to South Africa. In response to this, I stated that Mr. Chuene needed to explain to the South African public, in Parliament, why Caster Semenya was ‘duped' into undergoing the gender tests, and why, when the facts were presented to him, he chose to ignore them. I also said he needed to explain why, instead of informing Caster Semenya of the situation, and allowing her to be part of the decision making process, he kept the facts to himself.
Leonard Chuene has explained none of these things. Instead, he has shied away from his responsibilities, ducked and dived at every turn, and even attempted to avoid answering some questions in today's session - requiring the chair to instruct him to answer. Most regrettably, he has tried at every opportunity to pass the buck to the IAAF. Though we have said repeatedly that the IAAF's actions were callous and unwarranted, it is unacceptable that Mr. Chuene shirks his responsibility for what happened. He is just as responsible as the IAAF, and his actions warrant more than an apology. But instead, we continue to have obfuscation, and lies, lies and more lies.
Mr. Chuene's attempts to explain his way out of his predicament are not enough; he needs to be held accountable, and needs to step down as the head of ASA.
Leonard Chuene ought to be ashamed of the role he has played in this saga. It is disgraceful that he has never been admonished, much less dismissed, for his role in violating the dignity of Caster Semenya. Mr. Chuene should stop trying to shift the blame, and take responsibility for his actions.
Statement issued by Donald Lee, MP, Democratic Alliance shadow minister of sport and recreation, October 20 2009
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