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'Nothing will stop us...'

2008-11-20 10:41

Cape Town - We've received several letters of complaint regarding alleged remarks made by ANC MPs Butana Komphela and Cedrick Frolick during a meeting of the parliamentary portfolio committee on sport with the local organising committee of the 2010 Soccer World Cup and host cities.

"We are on our way to taking away all stadiums from rugby... nothing will stop us," Komphela allegedly said when Frolick asked eThekwini Metro municipal manager, Dr. Mike Sutcliffe, about the ownership of the Absa Stadium in Durban.

Read a selection of responses here, or visit Sport24.co.za to read the full story.

"When is this political driven attack on our beloved Rugby going to stop? As an ordinary white South African citizen with the same democratic rights as all other citizens in this country, I am fed up with all the political brouhaha around the sport. The latest attack on our rugby stadia is ridiculous and a sure indication of reverse racism. Komphela has made it quite clear by his actions and his comments that he does not support a "white man's sport" although rugby is a sport played by all." - Charles

"Who is Pinky? Who is Brain? You decide, but, these bastions of good governance and common sense have now taken issue with rugby stadiums. Oh, and Rugby fans who are apparently "criminals". I am astounded by the hate these men have for rugby. Do something positive for a change please." - Raymond

"What are Komphela and Frolick trying to achieve with their latest remarks that they will be targeting rugby stadiums and taking rugby away from stadiums? Pushing off the leases to take control is very childish as they will lose more money in a year and this they will feel. Now the latest is that rugby is a criminal sport? In what sense? Rugby is a sport like any other that stops people turning into criminals through involvement in sport. Rugby generates income and jobs at the stadia too. You want to change rugby but you down even know how powerful the game really is. You are breaking things down faster than we can fix them. You might want to take away the Springbok and our stadia, but you can?t take away the spirit they have created!" - Koos

"I read with absolute disbelief the statements from Komphela and Frolick regarding "taking away all stadiums from rugby". Who do these morons think they are? They have a nerve to say rugby is 'Racist" and a "sport for criminals". Surely the rugby authorities can take legal action against him for thee slanderous remarks? I also note that Durban's city manager Mike Sutcliffe wants the Sharks to move to the new Moses Mabhida stadium. ABSA is the home of the Sharks - it always has and it always will be and will never change." - Dave

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Me as a soccer only supporter (local and international please) and a non-rugby person, have to say that such comments are totally unacceptable and any sport lover (have the 2 Gents ever done any sport, other than wasting tax payers money on themselves???) should break out in cold sweat. They should rather make sure that the damage caused by hosting the SWC 2010 "in their way" would be minimalised. Time will treat them the way they deserve...

I am disgusted by comments made against rugby. Rugby is not apartheid, rugby is a sport; and a sport that has help unify South Africans (World cup 1995, 2007). When will these pointless and degrading comments stop? Leave rugby alone.

So i take it that a sport that has done our country proud and brought everyone closer way beyond anything else that we have here, is not goot enough because white ppl like it, Rugby is South Africas national treasure, that is the point, no other sport and/or thing and/or person has done this for us, so why take it away, is it because it makes us all stand together, now that we all want to stand together ,the goverment is scared

These two gentleladies have some serious issues. This is what happens when you give power to those who should not have. We are going to take all the stadiums away from rugby, what arrogance, who do they think they are? Why don't they concentrate on the football, maybe then we will make it past round 1!!! Makes my blood boil such arrogance, probably just what they want anyway.

should learn that Sports Portfolio Committee is not a tool to practice the politics of revenge. It is a mechanism that must ensure that the management of sport is implemented in a manner that benefits all SA'ns. And we don't have 2 shout & fight to achieve this. On the other hand, Sport administrators & supporters should stop treating sporting codes & our National teams as their personal assets. Our National teams are National assets. Lets treat 1 another with respect and dignity.

What is this negativity prevailing in some quarters of our society and who is exploiting this angst and to which end is it used.The wholesale bashing of the ruling party and some of their individuals is unprecedented in modern media.We find it difficult to link the dots between a 'SKierlik" killer and his angst which found expression becos of his fears.So plse blame yrselves for missing the opportunities of bringing SA's 2gether and congratulate yrselves for driving them further apart..heid!

How can a supposedly grown up, educated man make such ridiculous comments. We are a country of many races and cultures which likes different things. Why can we not have rugby and they can have soccer. If rugby is such a racist thing, then all things pre-1994 (schools; roads; Union Buildings; etc.) should also be demolished. Oh, but those are the things currently being enjoyed by the masses. These politician obviously don't want peace in this country, as we can only take so much before we snap.

The people of News24 really go out of their way to raise blood pressures so early in the morning. Do you really enjoy reading angry comments everyday? You must be a sick and extreemely bored editor. Get a life and stop provoking us!!!

Kings Park Stadium could have been upgraded at a 3rd of the cost of the new stadium in Durban but Sutcliffe and his ilk rejected the offer. Frolick and Khompela are racist buffoons with their own agendas. I am surprised that they embrace the lilly white Sutcliffe but then again he does toe the party line and enjoys his Million plus annual income with his upmarket home with low rates and colonial street name! Makes me sick, but I will cope!!

I am a black person,but i am totally against this personal vendetta or black racism being done by our politicians.Rugby has been a traditionally white sport so what.Are the south african whites not entitled to enjoy South Africa just like everyone.Politicians never seem to learn from their counterparts in Zimbabwe.I am black and proud of it but i say please leave Rugby alone and above all leave whites alone.Not all whites are racists.

There was an incident (and there are many more I hear) a few months ago with a rugby team in Mpumalanga (The Pumas I think they are called). These guys refused for a soccer team to use their change rooms during a soccer match. I think Butana and co are right in that most of these rugby guys are racist and do not want to share facilities, and may I point out that this is a municipal stadium. The solution may well be to take the stadiums away from these guys.

these remarks. If this is true, will the reporter of these allegations take responsibilty for this very serious breach of ethical journalism. Some sectors of the media clearly have an agenda of embarrassing the new initiatives of transformation by showing it up as incompetent, below standard.

They see the sport succeed commercially. They see two world cups on our mantlepiece. They see predominantly white crowds, (Which is apparantely a sin) but hey, no one is stopping black people from going, this is a democracy. And now they have decided, as with everything else good in this country, they want to destroy it. If their logic is to be understood, I am now a criminal in my own country because I am white and attend Live Rugby matches.

What is their real agenda? What do they want from us? When are they going to stop? I dont think ever. Not untill they have destroyed the sport I have Loved since I was three years old. Do you think they share my passion for the sport? Not even remotely? Is destroying South African Rugby going to improve the Lives of Thousands in Townships who live in squalor? No its not!! Perhaps they should start focusing on building and developing. Their are far bigger issues at hand here. Petty Nonsense.

The news coverage of the meeting between the minister of sport and the rugby bosses was good for a laugh.....I was amazed at what good shape our minister and his deputy are in. It must be a great work-out getting those guts out of bed in the morning. Ministers of Sport? Walking to your car doesn't constitute exercise fat boy. To much gravy me thinks.

The mindset of controlling every aspect of a person?s life is at our doorstep. Each day bit by bit replacing everything with their twisted ideology and breaking or burning everything down that doesn?t conform to their belief, even common sense. Now you can see why the leaders of old introduced apartheid into this country and tried to hold on for so long as what is happening today would have happened 45 years back if it was not introduced. Luckily we had a border war that took out a couple of thousand communists otherwise they would have been inside your house already and not sitting on your stoep like today.

Having realised that there is going to be no income from these wonderful new stadiums being built for 2010 they are trying to force cash generating sports to use them to boost there own coffers. The ongoing attack on Rugby, stadiums and the Springbok emblem is all camouflage to take away the attention from their sinking (ANC) ship. Regime change is required to stop this nonsense.

There is a really great reason why Mike Sutcliffe wants the Sharks to move to the new stadium. I am surprised everyone can't see it ---The idiots have built this very expensive and costly to run stadium, and they know that the soccer supporters cannot provide enough revenue to pay for it."But hold on ",says Mikey boy," all those criminal rugby fans can pay for it and I'm out of the shit I put myself into, and I can ingratiate my way even further up the rear end of the ANC.

Komphela and Frolick may lack diplomacy and tact, but I support their mission 100%. The quote itself was grossly incomplete and does not reflect the totality of the meeting's discussions. Most of the comments above are based on ignorance, and the increasing victimhood developing among rugby fans oppossed to change.

Lets face it millions have been spent on soccer both for coaches and packages and they have produced nothing. Ohhh I forgot didn't they win an African Cup of Nations and ohhh who was the coach. In my opinion they are embarrassed because they are useless and are therefore trying their level best to discredit rugby and all who follow it. One wonders what are they getting from the soccer fraternity.

All rugby stadiums should be converted to soccer stadiums only and soccer stadiums should become rugby stadiums....More rugby stadiums should be built in Black areas, to attract Whites to the townships and perhaps sit down and have a beer or two and a bowl of pap and chicken feet at a local shebeen and give them a chance to show to us that they truly are Africans just like us.

What really causes me angst is the drivel that you write. I have a great deal of trouble linking the dots when it comes to anything you have to say, particulary the above posting. Leave the "Skierlik" killer out of this debate, he is another issue altogether and will receive his just punishment. If you cannot contain yourself to the issue in question, please just zip it. Your ramblings make no sense.

...with the decision. I had a friend who was a soccer referee who had to be smuggled out of a soccer stadium in the back of a police cruiser, hidden under blankets after the game had to be abandoned because of the supporters throwing dangerous objects at the players and officials. And no, not all soccer supporters are like that, just as not all rugby supporters are racist.

These people are unfortunately fuelling the arguments that the ANC just cannot build up anything. All they do is break down. A quote I once heard springs to mind: "It is easy to break down someone's castle, but can you even build an outhouse?"

I think that you are so level headed in your attitude. However Rugby is a predominately white sport not only a white sport.I witnessed a rainbow of South Africans welcome the successful World cup Champions home. I believe most South Africans are proud of our rugby.... something the political fools dont enjoy.

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