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Fikile Mbalula

PRETORIA. — South Africa’s Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula has suspended the privileges of South Africa Rugby, Cricket South Africa and Athletics South Africa from bidding for international tournaments due to lack of transformation.

“I have resolved to revoke the privilege of Athletics South Africa (ASA), Cricket South Africa (CSA), Netball South Africa (NSA) and South African Rugby (SARU) to host and bid for major and mega international tournaments in the Republic of South Africa as a consequence of the aforementioned federations, not meeting their own set transformation targets with immediate effect,” Mbalula said yesterday.

“I will review this decision when considering the results of the 2016/2017 Transformation Barometer.” Mbalula made the announcement during the release of the Eminent Persons Group on Transformation in Sport in Pretoria.

He said the South African Football Association (SAFA) had met its target, but lashed out at the slow pace of introducing soccer at private schools.

“In respect of the South African Football Association, I am delighted that SAFA has met its transformation targets. I will, however, issue a Ministerial directive to SAFA as a consequence of their poor drive to penetrate and roll out football in former Model C schools and private schools,” said Mbalula.

He said the Transformation Charter was the load-star of the sport movement that drew attention to the immediate and inevitable necessity for the Sport System to Transform for both Moral and Strategic imperatives.

He said morally, it was “the right thing to do”, considering the grave injustices of the past. And it was strategically necessary, because of the reality that 84% of the country’s Under-18-year-old population was black African and only 16% white, coloured and Indian.

He said to ignore this strategic reality, from a sustainability perspective alone, would be suicidal.

He said he had applied his mind to the aforementioned reality and had taken into account the strides made by men and women within the sports movement to achieve transformation goals. “It is not my intention to disrupt the momentum gained from the implementation of the Transformation Barometer and the global competitive edge of some federations and sports bodies.

However, I am mindful of the urgent task for federations to move with speed in the direction of providing quality of opportunities and access to the youth of our country,” he said.

According to the Afrikaans weekly, three of South Africa’s six Super Rugby teams meet SA Rugby’s transformation target of 35% black representation.

Those teams are the Kings, Stormers and Bulls.

The Cheetahs (24%) and Sharks (27%) can do better, but the Lions have only 17% black players among their ranks.

Lions president Kevin de Klerk said his union had failed to meet the target because of a lack of money. — AFP.