New race quotas for SA rugby, cricket, Soccer, Athletics and netball r
Trade union Solidarity has revealed new sport quotas that will be introduced to South African rugby, netball, soccer, athletics and cricket within the next year – failing which, the federations stand to lose millions in government funding.
The union received the documents after announcing that it would be making an application under the Promotion of Access to Information Act (Paia), to compel the Ministry to disclose information with regard to its transformation targets.
This follows an April 2016 declaration by Sports Minister, Fikile Mbalula, who noted that in the event of a federation failing to meet the transformation targets, he would consider applying any of the following penalties:
  • Withdrawal of government’s recognition of the particular federation as a National Federation – such a decision would be published in the Government Gazette;
  • Revoking the privilege of a federation to host and bid for major and mega international tournaments in the Republic and the withdrawal of recognition of the said federations;
  • Withdrawal of the federation’s opportunity to be awarded national colours via SASCOC to players who participate under the auspices of that particular federation in order to represent the Republic internationally and nationally;
  • Termination of the relationship and any cooperation between SRSA and said federations due to non-compliance
  • Withdrawal of political support and endorsements for sponsorships.
While Mbalula has been praised in some sectors for his radical transformation policies, the move has also come under intense scrutiny, as those federations which do not comply with the targets are in line to lose billions of rands’ worth of possible revenue.
“Although we are still processing all the documentation, it is already clear that the way in which transformation targets are applied in fact comes down to a quota system, something explicitly prohibited by the Constitution, the Employment Equity Act as well as various international sports conventions,” said Johan Kruger, deputy chief executive of Solidarity.
“We will therefore undoubtedly bring further legal action to put an end the use of quotas in sport.”
While Afriforum is yet to release an official response on the proposed transformation targets, it has released the transformation target documents as provided by the ministry of sports.
Note that these are the transformation targets. Not all of the current federations and associations have fully complied with the proposed changes.
Rugby


  • The document forecasts that 60% of full-time staff will be black South Africans by 2018.
  • The document forecasts that 45% of national players (male) will be black South Africans by 2018.
  • The document forecasts that 80% of national players (female) will be black South Africans by 2018.
  • The document forecasts that 60% of nationally accredited coaches will be black South Africans by 2018.

Athletics


Read: ASA TCDF and AP 2014 to 2018

  • ASA will have to assign 10% more African women to its executive board committees within the next year.
  • The document forecasts that 84% of males will be black South Africans by 2018.
  • The document forecasts that 40% of females will be black South Africans by 2018.
  • The document forecasts that 100% of coaches will be black South Africans by 2018.
  • The document forecasts that 84% of physiotherapists will be black South Africans by 2018.

Soccer

  • The sports ministry actually expects black representation to decrease in South African football by 2018 with full time black staff members decreasing from 94% in 2014 to 70% by December 2018.
  • Likewise it expects a drop from 88% in 2014 to 75% of Black African players which will be made up for by a 13% increase in “generic black” players.
  • There is however expected to be a 5% increase across the board in female black players at the national level.

Cricket

  • In September 2016, the CSA declared that with immediate effect the national team to play an average minimum of 54% black players and average minimum of 18% black African players over the season.
  • The targets will be an average of the cumulative representation across all three formats in a season.
  • The document forecasts that 60% of males will be generic black South Africans by 2019.
  • It also notes that that 60% of female cricket players will be generic black South Africans by 2019.
  • The document has also forecast that 80% of South African umpires will be black by 2020.

Netball

  • The document forecasts that 85% of full-time staff will be black South Africans by 2018.
  • It forecasta that 95% of male netball players will be black by 2018.
  • It forecasts that 71% of female netball players will be black by 2018.
  • It has also forecast that 80% of coaches will be black by 2018.