The South African Rugby Union will on Monday get a better idea of the government's new 'adapt or die' transformation policy.
Speaking at a general meeting of the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee recently Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula revealed that the minimum requirement for the number of blacks in teams have been increased to 60 percent.
However, sporting codes - including rugby - were unsure as to what Mbalula meant when he said the requirement would come into effect "immediately".
SARU hopes to get more clarity on the subject at a "report back meeting" on Monday - where the minister and the Eminent Persons Group, who has monitored national federations, will be present.
While not too many fireworks are expected, it will at least clear up some questions.
Among the questions raised since the recent SASCOC meeting and the minister's increased quotas, were whether the minister was insisting on 13 black players in Super rugby teams with immediate affect and the Springboks from June.
There is also the practicality of such demands, if indeed that was what the minister meant when he spoke at the recent SASCOC meeting.
Mbalula certainly pulled no punches at the meeting.
"On March 25 we received the pilot study on the status of transformation in sport and the findings were shocking," he said in a statement published on the SASCOC website.
"Little has been done to transform and the issue of grassroots transformation and participation of blacks is declining drastically.
"We found poorly maintained infrastructure and a lack of willingness to transform despite the agreement as in the Sports Charter."
The minister, Mbalula, also announced far-reaching measures to address transformation.
He said they will "aggressively implement" the quota system as instructed in the National Sports Plan of 2011 in order to phase in equity in sport.
"[We will] insist on a change from a 50-50 proportion to a 40-60 representation both provincial and nationally; as well as seek development plans from those five bodies [athletics, cricket, soccer, netball and rugby] that have been reviewed by the EPG."
And Mbalula warned of harsh punishment if there was any form of resistance to these measures.
"Any form of resistance and the government can: withdraw funding to bodies that fail to comply; withdraw national colours to federations holding back, rule that utilising bidding and hosting regulations to be illegal, de-register any body that fails to transform and bar sponsorship to anyone hostile to transformation."
The minister said the resolutions of the recent meeting had to be implemented before the new government administration took office after the May 7 general elections.
Strictly speaking it could mean that the government will prevent the Springboks from taking to the field against a World XV and Wales in June if there are not 13 black/non-white players in the team.
The same quotas will apply to all other teams, although Monday's meeting could shed more light on when the minister expects these drastic changes to take place.
It is feared an immediate implementation of the recommended quotas could destroy competitive sport in South Africa.
The practicality of "immediate" implementation has also been called into question.
It is hoped that Monday's meeting could shed some light on the matter.
The Harry Vermass fanclub
Heroes: David Knox, Carlos Spencer, Marc Lieveremont, Ian Madigan.
Villains: Kidney, O'Gara, Phillpe St Andre, Laporte, Cork Con Mafia,Matt O'Connor.
What happens if sufficient numbers of black people don't want to play rugby and likewise white people don't want to play football? Will they be rounded up and sent to reeducation camps?
I recognise that there needs to be positive discrimination in SA but this seems to go too far.
What happens if sufficient numbers of black people don't want to play rugby and likewise white people don't want to play football? Will they be rounded up and sent to reeducation camps?
I recognise that there needs to be positive discrimination in SA but this seems to go too far.
Absolutely, football is a black sport and there have been no moves to integrate white people into the game. Have to say that I think a lot of the reason why kids get into sports is because of their parents. I love rugby, soccer and cricket because my dad brought me to games and played them in the garden when I was little. I'm not interested in GAA because he wasn't.
South Africa faces a constant danger of slipping into a Zimbabwe style model, not the model that Nelson Mandela fought for.
offshorerules wrote:Positive discrimination is not the answer. I think sadly South Africa's problems are only just beginning.
I think the end goal is to get all whites out of SA, I mean when your minister for sport(who by nature has to tone things down due to being a politician) is coming out with stuff like this you have to worry.
Although semi seriously it does mean a glut of Afrikanner second row should be coming on the market in the near future...
The Harry Vermass fanclub
Heroes: David Knox, Carlos Spencer, Marc Lieveremont, Ian Madigan.
Villains: Kidney, O'Gara, Phillpe St Andre, Laporte, Cork Con Mafia,Matt O'Connor.
offshorerules wrote:Positive discrimination is not the answer. I think sadly South Africa's problems are only just beginning.
I think the end goal is to get all whites out of SA, I mean when your minister for sport(who by nature has to tone things down due to being a politician) is coming out with stuff like this you have to worry.
Although semi seriously it does mean a glut of Afrikanner second row should be coming on the market in the near future...
I think you've jumped the gun there a little, are there not a significant minority of whites in SA numbering in the millions and with a history in the country going back one could argue circa 4-500 years, it's vastly different to the Rhodesia/Zimbabwe situation. They have no choice but to work together in SA they are too interlinked economically.
Again I think the main point is that politics and sport shouldn't be allowed to mix. In an ideal world I'd like to think that what matters to people from SA is that a player is South African not whether he's black, white, coloured, Indian etc.
Given the natural progress of time more and more black players are becoming evident/involved at all levels, yes it's still a mostly white game in the same way it's still a mostly middle class game here but it's incumbent upon black communities to get involved in the game through clubs and development of players to make the changes. Not for teams to have to have a set number of types of people as that's going back to pre 1994 thinking.
