SARU continues to decides which Darkies are acceptable

20 August 2015

COSATU Western Cape is concerned about the continued agenda of marginalization of blacks, who insist on their rights by SARU.

Cosatu has raised concerns with SARU and the broader society last week in relation to the lack of transformation in Rugby.

This was based on the fact that black and white players had raised the issues with Cosatu, and Cosatu was going to engage SARU on these matters.

A cross section of the society agreed with Cosatu and also raised their issues of transformation in Rugby, reinforcing the need for dialogue.

The need for this meeting was confirmed by Oregan Hoskins, and Cosatu awaits a proposal for the meeting from SARU.

However, since Hoskins is back from Argentine he meets with Fedusa the tame sweetheart Union who does not speak on behalf of any players.

In this meeting with this sweetheart Union he raises issues of transformation in schools and clubs, but does not touch the exclusion of black players and lack of general transformation. We agree on the need for transformation in schools and clubs, but also want to talk about the value system that defines blacks and less talented in SARU.

This is the SARU attempt to set the narrative by getting tame darkies to reinforce their point of view in the public.

This effectively means that they do not want to engage on the genuine issues with the representatives of a significant section of the society. This is the old apartheid mentality of divide and rule that denies the injustices happening in Rugby and opposes having a genuine engagement on the hard issues to find resolution and a way forward.

We had thought that we were on a progressive way forward after the expanded black team was selected last Saturday, and the fact that they did better than the white team, against Argentine.

We thought that there was just going to be a meeting between SARU and Cosatu to confirm the commitment to transformation and to get the whole country behind the Springboks, which are more transformed.

The attempts by SARU to present the discussion with Fedusa, a anti transformation sweetheart Union, as representative of the SA workers concerned about transformation, adds insult to injury.

We will be launching an ongoing campaign to force SARU to appreciate the legitimate representatives of the majority of workers in South Africa, [Cosatu] as well as a significant number of Rugby Organisations. This campaign will intensify pressure on SARU until they stop their anti transformation attitude.

This campaign may also call for the removal of Oregan Hoskins who has shown himself to be a baas boy, by refusing to push transformation in SARU. Hoskins has opted to let the salary and perks packages at SARU make him forget about the fact that he was put there to transform the SARU Boardroom and Not to Be Transformed into an apologist for white rugby interest.

Cosatu will be holding a meeting of rugby clubs on Wednesday 26 August 2015 at 18h00 at Community House, 41 Salt River Road, Salt River.

This meeting will decide on the campaign to challenge the Springbok selection processes to the world Cup and whether we will support the Team as Black rugby in South Africa.

The history and ambitions of Black teams are so easily overlooked by SARU - after Unification, by SARU wanting to celebrate an apartheid supporting Argentinean tour of 1960.

Statement issued by Tony Ehrenreich, COSATU Western Cape Provincial Secretary, August 18 2015