Massive opposition to `60-40` quotas in SA sports favouring black players

Johannesburg: A South African civil rights body and trade union have said that they will oppose the implementation of 60-40 quotas in sports favouring black players.

Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula announced that the quota system will be `aggressively implemented` as he believes sports in the country were falling behind with transformation and development, and insisted on a change from a 50-50 proportion to a 40-60 representation both provincially and nationally. According to Sport24, civil rights body AfriForum stated that they will not remain `passive` while the `dreams and sporting careers of young people are destroyed by racist politicians and sports administrators`, adding that they will not spare any cost to fight against blatant discrimination in South African sports. AfriForum warned that they will report South African sports bodies to international sports authorities, should they yield to pressure to implement racial quotas, while trade union Solidarity indicated that the implementation of quotas would be unlawful, as it was contrary to the Employment Equity Act. The report mentioned that the Act authorised numerical targets but specifically prohibited quotas. However, Mbalula warned that the government could withdraw funding to bodies that fail to comply that fail to comply, along with withdrawing national colours to opposing federations or de-register any body that fails to transform and bar sponsorship to anyone hostile to transformation.