Former Boks coach, players back Ngidi & Black lives Matter
SPOTLIGHT: Forty-nine South African rugby coaches, former players and administrators expressed their support for Proteas fast bowler Lungi Ngidi and the Black Lives Matter movement.
Across the world sports stars have thrown their support behind the movement with South African star Ngidi one of the first local athletes to openly address the Black Lives Matter movement. The Protea star encouraged his international teammates to take a united stand against racism.
However, his request was met with criticism from a few former Proteas, Pat Symcox, Boeta Dippenaar and Rudi Steyn.
And on Wednesday 49 members of the rugby fraternity, which include the likes of Springboks Ashwin Willemse, Kaya Malotana, Hilton Lobberts, Norman Jordaan, Thando Manana and Adrian Jacobs, have thrown their support behind the movement.
The group, which also include former Bok coach Peter De Villiers, former SA Sevens coach Paul Treu and former Namibia coach John Williams, and other esteemed black coaches such as Jonathan Mokuena, Chumani Booi, Kabamba Floors and Vuyo Zangqa, released a statement, highlighting inequalities within the South African rugby community.
The group also addresses systemic racism within the game and pointed out that job discrimination within rugby’s professional circles was one of the biggest forms of racism experienced by qualified black coaches in the country.
The full statement below...
STATEMENT BY RUGBY COACHES AND FORMER PLAYERS IN SUPPORT OF LUNGI NGIDI AND BLACK LIVES MATTER
What was hidden has come out. It is clear that there may be other “white” sportspersons and others in South Africa who continue to have world views that are shaped by racism. The negative response to the comments from Lungi Ngidi identified the fault lines within cricket and society. Current and former Protea players publicly supported his views on this matter.
Since the global outcry for “Black Lives Matter” and the movement’s continuous fight against racism and inequality, rugby administrators in South Africa have remained mum on this topic. Although SA Rugby made big strides to ensure our playing squads are representative at national level, the uninterrupted exclusion of head coaches and top administrators, classified as Black in terms of the equality laws of South Africa, continues.
Most rugby unions in South Africa will quickly play the numbers game that coaching structures and administrators are indeed well represented at all levels, but it is at senior and strategic level where “job reservation” continues. It is here that most positions are reserved for their white counterparts. Black coaches, administrators and service providers continue to be excluded as head coaches, Directors of Rugby, High Performance Managers, CEO’s or providers of professional expertise.
The facts are:
100% exclusion of Black Head Coaches at Springbok, SA U20, Pro14, Super Rugby and Premier Currie Cup.
100% exclusion of Black CEOs.
100% exclusion of Blacks as High Performance Managers.
Often the question is asked, why didn’t you speak out when you were players and even now as coaches or former players? The answer is quite simple, those with the courage to speak out are marginalised and forced to seek employment outside rugby or sport. It is this fear of losing employment and being left without a plan B that is making the number of people on this list a little less than anticipated. We can no longer live in fear and our inner voices won’t be silenced any more. From the time of colonialism, into apartheid there has been uninterrupted “white” control of the top coaching and administrative posts. This inequality must stop and the victimisation of critical voices must end.
In this month where we celebrate Nelson Mandela, let us recommit to the ideals that he stood for and end inequality in sport and oppose racism wherever it exists. As former players and coaches in South Africa, we stand in solidarity with Lungi Ngidi, the BLM Movement and calls for equality in rugby.
Signed by:
- Mac Masina
- John Williams
- Ashwin Willemse
- Adrian Jacobs
- Wayne Julies
- Vuyo Zangqa
- Peter de Villiers
- Thando Manana
- Labeeb levy
- Jonathan Mokuena
- Paul Treu
- David Manuel
- Hilton Lobberts
- Danwel Demas
- Gary Boshoff
- Deon Carelse
- Nirven Arendse
- Norman Jordaan
- Eddie Fredericks
- Johan Mettler
- Wilbur Kraak
- Anvor Schooney
- Aschin Klein
- Bronson Weir
- Reginald Nutt
- Chumani Booi
- JP Kellerman
- Jearus Nicholas
- Carlos Katywa
- Saaid Blake
- Darryl Coeries
- David Hendricks
- Sino Ganto
- Brendal Brandt
- Sammy Horne
- John Booysen
- Travor Pieterse
- Wylie Seroot
- Tiger Mangweni
- Denzil Frans
- Neil Papier
- Jerome Pietersen
- Nazeem Adams
- Warren Petersen
- David Maidza
- Therlow Pietersen
- Kaya Malotana
- Kabamba Floors
- Chris October