The probe into rugby racism by the Western Cape legislature has found that there was indeed racism in the sport and has come up with recommendations to combat it.
Some involve the Western Province Rugby Football Union (WPRFU). But its executive has boycotted public hearings on racism in rugby, slamming them as useless.
The legislature's standing committee on health, cultural affairs, sport and recreation outlined its findings in a draft report on Wednesday following six provincial public hearings over the past three weeks.
Over 250 people attended the hearings in Saldanha, George, Caledon, Khayelitsha, Bellville South and at the legislature in Wale Street where verbal submissions were made. The report recommended that:
- Cultural Affairs, Sport and Recreation MEC Patrick McKenzie meet the WPRFU, the South West District Rugby Union and the Boland Rugby Union within three weeks to clear up issues around racism
- Rugby sponsorship summits be held so that black and coloured rugby clubs can raise money to retain and buy players
- National government provide a specific subsidy for the development of school sports in black and coloured schools
- The department of sport and recreation's monitoring unit should monitor progress and provide an ombudsman to deal with complaints of racism in rugby
- The Human Rights Commission be approached to provide programmes promoting non-racialism
- The provincial sports department organise a one-day summit of municipalities within the next three months on fees imposed by municipalities for the use of sports facilities, so that poorer clubs can gain greater access and carry less of a financial burden
- Appoint fulltime sports officers at black schools where rugby development was at its worst
- Reconsider the rugby boundaries in the Paarl area, as some schools played for Western province while others play for Boland. This means white, black and coloured schools rarely played against each other
- The media be encouraged not to concentrate only on certain players but also to cover township and Cape Flats sports
The findings and recommendations will be submitted to the King Commission of Inquiry, headed by former judge Edwin King, to probe racism in the national team.
The WPRFU failed to attend the hearings because a questionnaire sent to them before the hearings had been issued in error on an ANC letterhead instead of the legislature's.
Chairperson of the committee Cameron Dugmore, MPL said: "The Western Province union does not want to engage in open discussion around issues of racism and transformation."
WPRFU president Koos Basson said: "The subjective process followed by the Western Cape parliament is premature and will probably serve no useful purpose."
