AfriForum: Ntsebeza’s cricket report is one-sided and ignores racist quota system

17 December 2021

The civil rights organisation AfriForum dismissed Adv. Dumisa Ntsebeza’s report on transformation in South African Cricket as one-sided because the report only lists white players as the guilty parties, while the report remains silent on the blatant institutional discrimination and racism committed in the name of Cricket South Africa (CSA)’s racial driven quota system. AfriForum’s criticism follows the publication of Ntsebeza’s report on 15 December 2021.

Earlier this year, AfriForum made an oral presentation to Ntsebeza’s Social Justice and Nation Building (SJN) committee, during which the organisation spoke out strongly against any form of discrimination and racism. During his presentation Kallie Kriel, CEO of AfriForum, said that attempts to eradicate racism in cricket should also focus on the racist quota system that deprives some professional players of their careers on the basis of race and even discriminates against children on school level. “The system destroys young children’s dreams and violates their human dignity because of their race,” Kriel said at that time.

In his response to the report, Ronald Peters, AfriForum’s Manager for Sport, slams the conclusions that AB De Villiers discriminated against a coplayer simply because he had questioned the merits of a team selection. “It is defamatory and a violation of De Villiers’ rights that Ntsebeza – while admitting that he could not make ‘definite findings’ due to the nature of his investigation – continues to cast suspicion on a cricket legend like De Villiers. It is tragic that a person like De Villiers, who served cricket in the country with great dedication, is now sacrificed to promote a race-obsessed political agenda in CSA,” Peters adds.

During its presentation to the SJN committee AfriForum also presented a six-point plan for sport development in South Africa as an alternative to the quota system. This plan specifically focuses on the empowerment of communities through sport and gives practical suggestions on how sport in South Africa can be promoted inclusively. There is no mention of AfriForum’s presentation in Ntsebeza’s report.

Statement issued by Ronald Peters, Manager: Sport, AfriForum, 17 December 2021