Most Bok fans are ready for a disaster at Newlands on Saturday, our boys facing up against the mighty All Blacks with that 57-0 drubbing still fresh in the memory.
Turns out it could get messy before the game even kicks off, because Cosatu is threatening to picket Saturday’s Rugby Championship match.
They’re angry that the match is only broadcast on DStv, rather than SABC, and they’re also unhappy with certain members of SuperSport’s in-studio panel.
Cosatu’s statement via Sport24:
“National sports that must inspire the whole nation must be shown live on SABC, as it is a national sport of all the people,” the statement read.
“This kind of discrimination will never be allowed in a national soccer match, as the government would step in to ensure it is available live for all citizens.
“This sport has been denied the majority of children in schools because of SARU’s bad development programmes and the ministry allows them to get away with it.
It would be wonderful if the SABC broadcast Springbok games, but maybe it’s the national broadcaster’s utter incompetence that counts against them.
You know, like how their losses for the past 12 months may well top the R1 billion mark (HERE).
Anyway, Cosatu Western Cape secretary Tony Ehrenreich [below] is also raging about Nick and Naas, as Times LIVE reports:
“Koos Bekker‚ who DSTV belongs to‚ is the Stellenbosch mafia. If they were concerned about national interest they would allow the games to be shown on the SABC.
They have the licenses which the Government stupidly sold them. They can address this issue.
There are issues with regards to Naas and‚ what’s the other one?… that Nick Mallett. They are both old and outdated. They should go.
I can’t understand why we can’t get newer commentators with fresher perspective. Did Naas spend all his money unwisely that DSTV can’t guarantee him a job forever? He must go do what other people do that don’t have money.
But Nick Mallett… he has a habit of talking down black players and trying to keep his white boys in the team. That is racist in our view. He doesn’t want to get with the national programme of treating all players fairly.
He must be removed from DSTV. We have no time for somebody who perpetuates the old biases of the past.”
Many rugby fans would agree that maybe it’s time for Naas to hang up his commentary boots (something SA Rugby writer Ryan Vrede has made clear HERE), but calling Naas and Nick racists smacks of desperation.
Botha wasn’t taking the bait:
“That is one guy’s opinion and I guess people are entitled to them.
“To comment on that isn’t really worth it. Reading between the lines the story isn’t really about Nick and I‚” Botha said sagely.
Who fancies a spot of irony? I’m in – also in the news yesterday:
Cosatu has apologised unreservedly for the barrage of insults hurled at City of Johannesburg MMC for Public Safety Michael Sun…
News24 heard marchers call Sun a “fong kong”, and tell him to go back to China. Sun is a South African-born citizen of Chinese descent…
The crowd also mimicked sounds made in Kung Fu movies during fights…
When Sun [above] was signing the memorandum, some in the crowd shouted that he should not sign in Chinese. They also said that Mashaba had sent Sun – who a Cosatu official referred to as “Mr Lee” – because he was scared of workers and had therefore sent someone who knew karate.
Sounds like someone is hurling rocks inside of glass houses…
According to Sport24 Cosatu will be holding a meeting with SA Rugby in Cape Town on Thursday at 11AM, after which they will release a statement on whether or not the protests will go ahead.
Maybe we can postpone the game until Warren Whiteley and Jaco Kriel are fit again?
