MICHAEL FINCH, Johannesburg | Tuesday 6.00pm.
SPORTS Minister Ngconde Balfour warned cricket chiefs on Tuesday there must not be a repeat of the recent racial controversy over the selection of an all-white team to play England.
”They have admitted their mistake but such a thing cannot happen again,” Balfour said after an 80-minute meeting in Pretoria with representatives from the sport including United Cricket Board (UCB) officials.
UCB president Raymond White admitted the board had erred in selecting a whites-only Northerns/Gauteng Combined XI for the match against England’s touring team at Centurion earlier this month.
The initial selection provoked outrage from Balfour and the UCB hurriedly included Alexandra fast bowler Walter Masimula in the line-up on the eve of the game.
Soweto batsman Geoffrey Toyana, a black player, had originally been picked but after White expressed concern over the non-selection of nationally contracted players, the UCB included Sven Koenig, a white player.
Koenig’s inclusion contradicted the UCB policy of including at least one player of colour in provincial teams
”After full and frank discussions today, we realised that the selection of an all-white team was quite clearly a mistake,” White said.
Balfour, who refused to allow questions from the media afterwards, said he could assure cricket followers that the incident would not be repeated.
”There are two things that are non-negotiable in this ministry,” Balfour said. ”One is transformation and the second is representivity and if federations cannot do it themselves, we have to step in and assist them.”
Apart from White, Balfour met UCB managing director Ali Bacher, head of amateur cricket Khaya Majola and UCB vice-president Percy Sonn. Ray Mali and Dr Ashwin Desai represented the UCB’s racial watchdog, the Transformation Monitoring Committee. — Reuters