Statement by Brett Herron, GOOD Party Secretary General and member of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament
24 August 2021
Because South Africa is a sports-mad nation, the antics of our national teams play a major role in galvanising and/or dividing the nation.
By “antics” we refer to the full spectrum of team composition, their performance and the politics that surround them.
A year ago, a floundering Cricket South Africa appointed esteemed Senior Council Advocate, and former commissioner of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Dumisa Ntesbeza, as the sport’s transformation ombudsman.
Ntsebeza established a Social Justice and Nation Building project. The project invited written submissions from former players and administrators and, after encountering various obstacles, was recently able to convene a series of hearings to take evidence from witnesses.
The stories that have emerged have been deeply disturbing, from Makhaya Ntini’s revelation that he ran to the stadium on match days in preference to joining his teammates on the bus, to Paul Adams’ spilling the beans about how he felt being called a “brown sh_t” by teammates including Mark Boucher.
In short, a succession of former Black stars have attested to feeling marginalised by teammates when selected to represent their country – for decades.
Two of the most senior figures in South Africa cricket today, Director of Cricket Graham Smith and national men’s team coach, Boucher, were for a long time dominant players and leaders of that team.
Boucher this week issued a public apology to Adams. By way of mitigation, he submitted that he was young and stupid at the time. He suggested there was a culture of racism in the team, with a number of players, including himself, being given racial nicknames by their peers.
On the same day Boucher issued his apology, his deputy Enoch Nkwe was issuing a resignation letter. The grounds of Nkwe’s unhappiness, according to reports, is that he has felt side-lined from decision-making in a difficult environment.
Boucher’s position is untenable.
Although Proteas One Day captain Temba Bavuma has diplomatically sought to defend the team environment, circa 2021, the truth is that, under Boucher, the Proteas have delivered the worst set of results in modern history. It’s a good time for a change.
Cricket South Africa must decide if the transformation of the sport remains a priority, and if it does, prioritise appointing people of integrity and conscience.