No amount of public relations can ever hide the untransformed nature of SA rugby

Drivers in the township usually quip about how township children are unfazed by a fast oncoming car than a slow walking cow.

This crossed my mind when I heard that the Blue Bulls and the Stormers would have their encounter in Soweto. I imagined the hysteria and the pandemonium a herd of bulls accompanied by a storm would cause to a township child. It’s worse if the bulls are blue.

It must have been a scary combination for the children!

But what was scarier was the dishonesty South Africans displayed during this period. Instead of highlighting the real reason why these two teams played in Soweto, people decided to engage in some unnecessary public relations exercise. Was it perhaps because the eyes of the world were upon us then? Still, that did not justify the disingenuousness we displayed.

The two teams came to Soweto because they were stranded. Period. Loftus Versveld the Blue Bulls home ground was off limits to them thanks to Fifa rules. The Blue Bulls therefore had no option but to host the visitors in Soweto’s Orlando Stadium. It boggles the mind why rugby administrators failed to see the strategic value of taking rugby to Soweto for all these years. After all Soweto is SA’s internationally acclaimed township, which lies less than 100km from Johannesburg, the economic hub of Africa and arguably one of the biggest cities in the world.

I must have been the only South African who was not chuffed by that circumstantial decision. The SA media bombarded us with headlines that hailed this as an act of nobility that would foster unity and nation building. I wondered how one or two matches could do that when we have failed to achieve that in the past sixteen years. But skeptical as I was about these claims, I still gave them the benefit of the doubt.

Glossing over the real problem that exists within SA rugby does not change the fact that rugby is still untransformed. The evidence played itself out on the pitch when one could hardly count ten players of colour on that pitch. Like racism South Africans do not need a PR exercise to tackle it and its attendant inequalities, but a genuine approach to eradicate it completely.

Rugby is still seen as a white sport confined within the former white areas. That is why its coming to Soweto made such big headlines. It was something unusual. Sixteen years into our democracy, Soweto hosted the first big rugby match in June 2010. We owe our sincere gratitude to Fifa, which made history for us.

The Soweto encounter presented an opportunity to all of us to constructively criticize the slow pace of transformation in rugby. It also presented an opportunity to some white South Africans in particular who had been to Soweto for the first time to see the level of deprivation blacks still lived under, including the absence of rugby as a sport of choice to the children of Soweto.

It was therefore not just an opportunity to pose for cameras just to say, I was there too. These pretentious camera moments in front of shacks and modest shebeens ironically created an us and them impression. They exposed how distant the previously advantaged still are from the previously disadvantaged. Judging from some of the pictures taken on the day, it looked as if it was a visit of the superior to the inferior and the hosts had to be thankful for their ‘state visit.’ Their actions were downright patronizing and condescending to say the least.

This should have instead been an opportunity for SA Rugby administrators to respond to the proverbial alter call, and say we wronged you, we repent from our sins. We repent from the sin of stalling transformation in rugby. Those who have been to the alter will tell you that it is a very humbling experience that lives one in tears and a desire to undo their sinful past. And clearly you’d wish to hide from cameras when you’re in such a state.

Responding to the question: “When will there be justice in Athens”? One Greek philosopher said, “There will be justice in Athens when those who do not suffer are as angry as those who do.” Transformation in rugby in particular and other areas can only be truly realized when the previously advantaged are as angry as those who were previously disadvantage. South Africans, black and white need to equally condemn a lack of transformation in rugby, in the workplace and other spheres of our lives without fear or favour.

Transformation is therefore a project that should unite all South Africans. It is a project that we all need to tackle to make sure it succeeds. That way we can be sure that we are truly a rainbow nation destined for success.

Transformation in rugby should be accompanied by development, resources and relevant structures to ensure its success. Those who are charged with the task of effecting it should not only strive to meet quotas without the above. Transformation is therefore not a mere replacement of white players with black players. That is  abdication not transformation.

If rugby SA is serious about nation building and breaking racial prejudices in the sport, they need to seriously consider townships as alternative and appropriate venues for the game. They need to fast track development to be consistent with the demands on the ground. Blacks are in the majority and the fact that rugby, cricket and golf for instance were the reserve of whites should indicate the urgency to change this perception.

Rugby is still untransformed and this is the truth we should have all exposed once again then. But we sadly missed out on an opportunity to put pressure to bring change to the sport.