Sporting ban a smokescreen to hide ANC failure to develop sport
25 April 2016
The decision taken by the Minister of Sport and Recreation, Fikile Mbalula, to ban certain sporting bodies from bidding for international tournaments is a poorly thought out gimmick to hide the ANC’s continuous failure to develop sport for black South Africans and undo the damaging legacy of Apartheid.
The reality is that this ban will not make any substantial difference to the status quo, as none of these federations have formally submitted bids for mega events, nor has government offered to support any existing bids.
This shows just how much the ANC has changed. Instead of doing what is needed to put the most vulnerable in our society first, they opt for a smokescreen that will do nothing to correct more than 300 years of colonialism and Apartheid.
In the past, the evil Apartheid government deliberately and maliciously sought to ensure that only white South Africans received resources - this included sport.
22 years after our first democratic elections, little has been done to undo this legacy. Instead, astro-turfs are built at Nkandla for the President and his friends.
The DA, as part of its founding values, upholds and cherishes diversity. We want all sporting teams to reflect all the people who call South Africa home. We want this to be done by sustained and rapid development of sporting infrastructure and grassroots development in those communities who still carry the burden of the past.
Because we know that if every child is provided with an equal opportunity, and if structural racialised inequality is addressed, every team would reflect our beautiful nation.
The sad truth is that this ban will do nothing to change the status quo, because the ANC will continue to waste money on corruption, and do little to provide opportunities for black South Africans who need it most.
The DA wants to bring about the change that is needed to change the horrific legacy of the past – this is change that will create jobs, deliver better services, and stop corruption. This is the change that will move South Africa forward again.
Issued by Solly Malatsi, DA Shadow Minister of Sport, 25 April 2016
