Youth cricket week marred by debilitating race quotas

Dear Editor

The DA vehemently rejects the race quotas instituted by Cricket SA (CSA) for the upcoming Khaya Majola Under-19 Cricket Week in Grahamstown next month.

In a memorandum sent to all parents of the school cricketers, Cricket SA rules that each provincial team is required to field a minimum of seven black players and a minimum of three Black African players. Teams are further instructed to have two Black African batsmen who must bat in the top six batting order during each game.

It is disheartening that the International Cricket Council (ICC) advocates for inclusivity and proclaims to “make considerable efforts to protect the integrity of the sport through anti-racism programmes”, while CSA institutes quotas in direct contradiction.

This discriminatory CSA policy smacks of political influence from the hopeless, soul-destroying ANC government. They are in effect reinforcing the narrative that that the colour of your skin can mean the difference between your progress being helped or hindered. It simply cannot be allowed. There are many young sportsmen and women who adequately meet the selection criteria for a variety of sporting codes through their talent. Now, with CSA’s instruction, many of these young cricketers will be labelled as tokens.

Sport is a vehicle for children to develop and form lasting relationships. Ultimately, quotas only bear negative consequences on child development and cause disruption in team synergy.

The Springboks has recently shown that if you choose people on merit, building unity and inclusive environment, you achieve more by enforcing draconian measures that at the end of the day has the opposite effect.

The DA will be writing to the ICC to advise on these discriminatory rules. The ANC government’s path of destruction cannot continue unabated.

Regards

Tsepo Mhlongo MP
DA Shadow Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture