Gustav Thiel
A WEDGE has been driven through Western Cape cricket over the decision to drop an investigation into Western Province Cricket Association vice-president Percy Sonn.
Sonn, who is also Western Cape deputy attorney general, told the Mail & Guardian last month that he often drank heavily, had told SABC commentator Martin Locke to “fuck off back to Rhodesia” and that “the white English people on the Western Province Cricket Association executive live in England and should return there because they can’t handle a coloured person as president.”
Sonn apologised to Locke and denied the other comments attributed to him, and United Cricket Board managing director Ali Bacher this week dismissed the allegations as “a storm in a tea cup”.
But the Western Province Cricket Club – the province’s biggest cricket club, and owner of the Newlands cricket ground – wants the issue pursued, claiming the cricket board’s stance is unacceptable.
“Our only interest is cricket and I believe Sonn’s statements indicate that he can’t act in its best interest,” club chairman Brian Biebuyck says.
“The issue has nothing to do with prejudice on our part. In fact, it is Sonn’s alleged statements that contain racist remarks. We believe that the cricket board did not deal with the incident at all.”
Sonn – who is angling to be next president of the cricket association – declined to comment this week.
But he previously told the M&G he enjoyed a drink “since drinking is so much part of the culture of my people”.
Biebuyck said written complaints had been handed to the cricket association about Sonn’s behaviour at a post-match function following the third day of a recent match between South Africa and India. But these had disappeared prior to the executive discussing the issue with Sonn.
Bacher declined to comment on Sonn’s behaviour at post-match functions, but said he was a valued board member.
He added that Biebuyck “is not the right person to initiate an investigation into Sonn. The Western Province Cricket Club is a club with many sport codes and as such cannot act in the interests of cricket.”
Cricket association insiders told the M&G this week that the row could scupper Sonn’s chances of securing the association’s presidency.
It seemed a certainty prior to the media coverage.
Executive member Norman Arendse is now being touted as a potential challenger. He also refused to comment.