Not all blacks keen on quotas – Solidarity

Quotas have negative connotations for black players who have made it through to the elite professional ranks, Solidarity CEO Dirk Hermann said.

Solidarity‚ along with their sister organisation Afriforum‚ took the department of sports and recreation and five other sporting bodies to the Labour Court on Wednesday to have the transformation charter set aside.

The respondents in the case were Cricket South Africa‚ Netball South Africa‚ SA Rugby Union‚ Athletics South Africa and the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee.

Judge Zolashe Lallie reserved judgment, but it is clear Solidarity believes that quotas or transformation targets do not have a place in South African elite sport.

“If you listened to Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus‚ he said he’ll heed the necessary quotas but they’re on merit,” Hermann said.

“Ironically‚ rugby and cricket succeeded in developing black players on merit and they’re the ones that must argue that they’re successful without quotas.

“They have the merits but they still want to play with quotas.

“So long as they have quotas‚ the Springbok captain will always have a placard around his neck that says he’s a quota player when he’s not.”

Sport and Recreation SA spokesperson Vuyo Mhaga said Solidarity needed to understand that transformation was for the benefit of the broader sports spectrum to ensure there was inclusiveness at all levels.

“We don’t treat all sports in the same manner,” he said.

“Dirk is referring to an old system that didn’t work.”