JOHANNESBURG - The Social Justice and Nation Building project heard Tuesday that the ‘quota system,’ was a quick fix solution for transformation in South African sport and wouldn’t solve racial discrimination.
Afriforum, represented by three officials, including its CEO, Kallie Kriel, and lawyer, Daniël Eloff outlined in its opposition to quotas saying that it not only negatively impacts on black players, but white ones too, in terms of the kind of Proteas team that gets produced.
“Our stance is not that there is a difference in talent between a black player and a white player. We have brilliant white players and we have brilliant white players,” said Kriel.
“Our stance is that if you are going to remove merit, especially at grass roots level, and just have a quota...if you don’t choose on the basis of merit, then the competition is not that tight. And then when you come to a higher level, you have a situation where even white players in the Proteas team are not developed to their full potential, because they don’t compete against the best from the start.”
Afriforum, describes itself as “a civil rights organisation that mobilises Afrikaners, Afrikaans-speaking people and other minority groups in South Africa and protects their rights.”
It testified further that rather than assisting transformation, the ‘quota system,’ was a quick fix.
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“Quotas gives a short cut to by-pass development, because all you have to do is have a racial quota of black players, so you go to the private schools, or former Model C schools, get the best (players) and then the problem is solved. It is not. The children in township schools are not going to get the opportunity earlier, unless they go to a private school.”
Afriforum gave the SJN a six point plan for development of sport, that included the creation and sustaining of facilities, the introduction of sport at all schools and the establishment of clubs in areas, where schools weren’t able to provide sport.
The hearings continue.
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