The African National Congress (ANC) secretary-general has rubbed several social media users the wrong way after he insinuated that his work as sports minister is the reason for the Springbok’s success.
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On 31 October, X user @Tabile_Zukile posted that the arrival of Rassie Erasmus is what led to the selection of players based on their merit and not the colour of their skin, adding that Erasmus ‘deserves all the recognition’.
Those who followed rugby will know the struggles black players faced, being called qouta players. But arrival of Rassie Erasmus made sure that if you are good enough you get selected regardless of the colour of your skin. He deserves all the recognition. #SpringboksRWC pic.twitter.com/WB4sqxh95B
— Madiba waseQamata (@Tabile_Zukile) October 31, 2023
Springbok captain Siya Kolisi was selected by then-head coach Erasmus, who now serves as rugby director, in 2018.
To this, Fikile Mbabula replied that it was not Erasmus who did away with quotas but him, stating that quotas were counterproductive:
Its not Rassie who did away with quotas its me bcos they were counter productive,We entrenched the transformation charter hence u see Siya been the captain. But i understand your point and fully agree about your assertion about Rassie .
— ANC SECRETARY GENERAL | fikile Mbalula (@MbalulaFikile) November 1, 2023
Several users shot him down, one stating that while Mbablula ‘eradicated’ quota players, he ‘couldn’t manage to erect another national pride, our railways. Sit down Fikile!’.
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Here are some of the other responses:
User @Chaldon_P stated: ‘It’s one thing to do away with the system, it’s another thing to remove the remnants and attitudes of people within those positions, which Rassie did. Look at other sports- Temba Bavuma was literally called a quota player just last year when he struggled for form.’
@steveroodt: ‘Why were there quotas in the first place if the ANC didn’t agree with them?’
@malopemojapelo: ‘A true leader would ordinarily just keep quiet, sit back and watch his ‘achievements’ play out and let others wax lyrical about it all, but then again…’
Mbalula was minister of sport between 2010 and 2017, minister of police from 2017 to 2018 and minister of transport from 2019 to 2023. He currently serves as the ANC’s secretary general.
In 2016, SA Rugby mag reported that Mbalula stated that quotas don’t help. ‘If you select someone as a quota player, it’s an insult. How can you participate in a national team if you’re not there on merit? But we’ve got to go down to get this talent that we have in abundance and bring it to the fore.’
‘Merit is not dissociated with transformation. I don’t want quotas, I don’t want the targets to be met in that way just to make the minister happy. It’s about an integrated society and going through a process to get the national teams to where they should be.’
In April of that year, however, Mbalula revoked SA Rugby’s right to host and bid for international tournaments after it failed to meet transformation targets.
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Picture: @MbalulaFikile / X