The furore surrounding the release of the ministerial committee of inquiry’s report into cricket’s transformation, and Sport and Recreation Minister Ngconde Balfour’s criticism of UCB president Percy Sonn, continued on Friday.
Both the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the Freedom Front (FF) called for Balfour to resign for his ”racist” comments, while the African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) gave him its full support.
The report recommended, among other things, that the United Cricket Board (UCB) urgently rescind its decision to scrap the quota system at higher levels of the game.
In a statement on the issue in the National Assembly on Thursday, Balfour sharply criticised Sonn and UCB chief Gerald Majola for statements they are alleged to have made about the report.
Majola was reported in the media as having said the UCB, ”which is in charge of running cricket, will not be dictated to by outside bodies”, while Sonn apparently said he did not care what the report said, and the UCB’s decision stood.
Balfour said there was a perception Sonn appeared to be ”a law unto himself”, who ”displays a negative attitude”.
However, Balfour ruled out any steps to ”force” the UCB to accept the recommendations.
Instead he would ”engage the UCB and all other stakeholders on the contents of the report”, and insisted he did not think the gap between the UCB and government ”is that big that it can’t be bridged”.
The UCB has declined to comment on the report. On Friday, DA representative Donald Lee said Balfour ”is a racist and should resign with immediate effect”.
Minutes of a meeting between Balfour and the UCB soon after its July 7 decision to scrap the quota system, ”prove unequivocally that the minister has an entirely racist agenda at heart”, he said.
Balfour was reported as having said at the meeting he preferred watching black cricketers play, and white players meant nothing to him.
FF representative Leon Louw said Balfour was no longer worthy of his position after his racist remarks about white players in the national team.
With South Africa hosting the 2003 Cricket World Cup, Balfour’s attack on the UCB management was not only uncalled for, but also made at the most inappropriate time.
It was clear from Balfour’s actions, that there was a serious breach of confidence between him and the UCB; something that could ”never be healed again”.
He should be replaced by someone who would not make ”emotional political comments”, but who would protect and promote the interests of sport, irrespective of the race or gender of the participants, Louw said.
However, the ANC Youth League welcomed the report as a ”victory to all black people”, who, for many years, were overlooked by sport administrators.
It hailed Balfour for exposing ”the gloomy picture of sport transformation”.
Sadly, the UCB still regarded itself as ”missionaries” of white cricket interests, a statement said. – Sapa