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Old Saru questions new Saru
17/03/2008 22:03 - (SA)
Stephen Nell, Die Burger
Cape Town - A delegation of former players from the non-racial South African Rugby Union of old will meet Sports Minister Makhenkesi Stofile here on Wednesday to air their grievances about complications in the sport.
Bernard Petersen, secretary of the Eastern Province Rugby Legends Committee, confirmed on Monday that the issue of transformation was on the agenda, as well as a recent meeting between former Springbok captains and SA Rugby Union president Oregan Hoskins.
Former Springbok captains and representatives of the civil rights initiative Afriforum met Hoskins and the chairperson of the board of SA Rugby, Mpumelelo Tshume, last month to convey their concern over political interference in sport to Saru.
"We are concerned about the exclusion of captains from the ranks of (the former) Saru from the meeting," Petersen said on Monday.
"Rugby is now unified. Why was everyone not included in this meeting."
Petersen confirmed that ex-players from the ranks of the former Saru would not necessarily share the views of the Springboks from the period before unification in 1992 who attended the meeting.
Minimal role
"We still see a role for government to play (in rugby), although it is a minimal role. Transformation is not taking place the way we would like to see it happen," he said.
He also expressed concern about rugby not developing at schools in disadvantaged areas.
Former players from the non-racial ranks were also concerned about the former Springbok captains' "alliance with Afriforum".
"We want clarity about what Afriforum stands for," Petersen said. "Apparently they are non-political but they take a political stance whenever sport is involved."
Kallie Kriel, chief executive of Afriforum, said he would be opposed to a meeting of that kind with the minister of sport.
"It clashes with the constitutions of the International Rugby Board and Saru, which prohibit political interference," Kriel said.
"The politicising of rugby has now become so intense that people are acting politically."
Kriel added that the former Springbok captains had "pure motives to serve rugby".
Afriforum, in conjunction with several former Springbok captains, presented a petition about "political interference" in SA rugby to the International Rugby Board last month.
Kriel said they were still waiting for a reply.
"We are positive about what is coming because the new sports act clashes with international regulations," he said.
* Saru will not appear before the parliamentary sports portfolio committee on Tuesday.
Cedrick Frolick, vice-chair of the committee, said on Monday Saru had informed them that several of the union's top officials would be involved in the appointment of the national team's assistant coaches.
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Rugby
