Date: Mon, 07 Jan 2002 09:19:00 +0200
From: "Grant McKenna" <GrantM-AT-prcsu.durban.gov.za>
Subject: Spoort in SA [was re:cricket]


The need for some process of affirmative action is recognised by most- but the argument over the national side is that the policy was one affirmative action candidate, and the administrators pushed in a second, who didn't perform well. 

Cricket is popular with several communities- the Eastern Cape [source of many of our black African rugby players as well] being most prominent in developing Black African cricketers.

Rugby isn't a Afrikaaner thing- it's a white thing, and rapidly becoming a middle-class thing. There is an affirmative action programme in place in rugby.

The official opposition went on about the need for affirmative action in soccer [because there were not enough whites], but the point was made that there has never been discrimination against a player on the basis of race; sometimes the whites aren't the best. It is important to realise that the "quota" is one at national and three at provincial levels- the ratios are not set out [ie the player must be from a previously-disadvantaged group, not necessarily black African].

Gibbs is coloured. He went to private schools etc, but he was born to a family declared to be "not discernibly a member of any other racial group", which is what it means to be coloured [provided that one's ancestry consists of two different race groups [although in practice only three generations were examined; I don't know if this was by law].

The description of Australian vs US ideas of race that was given that we followed the genetic idea of race, although we did find many who "passed" on the basis of their appearance, something that was managed in my family.

The nadir of South African cricket is in part due to the manner in which the affirmative action policy was changed while on tour; the captain being told what to do, and the player regarding himself as being inexperienced, and telling people so made for low morale. However the impact of the corruption scandal must not be overlooked- there is a level of distrust between players, and the poisoned relationships will take some time to work out.

When the Australians tour here we will be out for revenge, but it needs to be realised that the most common white reaction to the whole fracas has been "what can be expected?" The Official Opposition has made a statement [only heard report on radio this morning- don't know content]- pointing out the inevitable consequences of affirmative action, the decline in standards etc. 



Grant McKenna
Education Officer
Old Court House Museum
eThekweni Heritage Department
eThekweni Metropolitan Unicity Municipality
77 Aliwal Street, Durban, kwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
GrantM-AT-prcsu.durban.gov.za
+27 82 876 9635
+27 31 311 2228
Opinions expressed are not the responsibility of my employer.
!KE E:/XARRA //KE





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