CSA rejection of racial discrimination welcomed – IRR

The IRR welcomes the unambiguous statement by Cricket South Africa (CSA) that racial discrimination in the hiring of consultants is not and will not be official CSA policy.

This clarification comes after much confusion caused by remarks by the national cricket body’s CEO, Kugandrie Govender, last week. Govender told News24 that CSA is “now required to enforce Black consultants only (African, Coloured and Indian) until such time as the overall numbers are moving in the right direction and we can then revise this”.

Whatever the reasons for the unfortunate confusion, especially on a matter of such sensitivity as race relations, the IRR welcomes the reassertion of a non-racial approach to the appointment of consultants in South African cricket. This is in line with the membership requirements of the International Cricket Council (ICC), public sentiment, and the South African Constitution.

Said IRR deputy head of policy research Hermann Pretorius: “South Africans will not allow sport to once again become a source of racial division rather than national success, unity, and pride. CSA’s statement today, bringing much-needed clarity on the importance of non-racialism, shows the immense power in the hands of the public to demand better from those in positions of authority, and to demand answers to tough questions.”

Pretorius added: “But there is work to be done to see cricket, and sport in general, fulfill its great societal potential. Solutions must now be put forward and implemented.”

In this regard the IRR proposes the following to ensure the unifying potential of a flourishing of sport in South Africa:

- All racial quotas in team selection at all levels must be abandoned in favour of merit-based selections;

- All racial quotas in management appointments at all levels must be abandoned in favour of merit-based appointments;

- Government funds must be reallocated to the development of sporting infrastructure in public schools;

- Security at such facilities must be vastly improved to protect necessary infrastructure and children participating in such extracurricular activities through funding of private security in high-crime areas, and broad merit-based and community-driven management of police services;

- Private sector and community involvement in funding and managing school and community sporting infrastructure and programmes must be enabled and incentivised;

- The powers of politicians and government officials at national and provincial levels to interfere in sport at all levels must be drastically reduced, with the government focusing instead on providing funding on basis of merit and sporting achievement.

Statement issued by Hermann Pretorius, IRR Deputy Head of Policy Research, 8 September 2020