Scrap the sports quotas
The following extract, is what I cut and pasted on the numerous letters that requested that we consider the scrapping of sports quota;
“Glory Road”:
On Saturday, 29th September 2007, for the first time I really understood the USA comparisons with our local sport. The ‘pick of the day movie’ a true story, set in 1966, were the legendary Texas Western Miners college basketball team were mocked and ridiculed. Why? They were selecting a majority of black players in their team.
This, in a time where the politically correct system revolved around, ‘For home games, you put one black on the bench, for an away game, you put two players on the bench, and if you had no chance of winning, you may extend to three in tour team’.
The whites always started the game, the black were always on the bench.
Their coach, Don Haskins, desperately tried to boost his sides chances by offering scholarships to white players, all refused because the Texas Miners were so bad. Then he spotted a black player coming in off the bench in a game, he was impressed and offered him a scholarship. Ten other scholarships followed, with the resulting resistance from the sponsors, teachers and white pupils.
Don Haskins and the team go through to the National Championship game against the basketball powerhouse, Kentucky. A comment he overheard in the toilet prior to the game, and a discussion that the opposing coaches wife has with Don’s wife, results in him making the decision to play only black players in the final. The two whites and the Hispanic are dropped for the final. The comment of the one white that is dropped is so powerful and motivating, the team goes onto win.
Don Haskins is eventually inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1997.
Don Haskins opened the doors away from thinking quotas and succeeded.
Our quota system is a negative; it forces the elitist structures to focus their development needs on a transformation requirement within the quota system. Millions are being spent on the few, and we will never succeed in transformation.
What is the per capita that is being spent on development, and just how much is it contributing to transformation. How many children are we reaching through the existing structures, and could we not reach a thousand children more than each of those we are touching today?
Any South African who will accept that this observation, with regard to the status of USA sports codes, has any degree of accuracy, must accept that we have failed dismally to transform sport in our country.
Dangers in satisfying the elitist structure’s transformation achievements:
The elitist sports structures attracts the finance from the sponsors, and has changed the focus to a system where the experts are scouting the corners of the country with the view to finding suitable participants in the various ‘High Performance Centres’ / ‘Academy’s’ that have become very much part of our ‘Australian Type’ structures.
You will hear many sports codes expressing satisfaction with the standard of school sports in South Africa, often quoted as the ‘the best in the world’.
If our school structures are so good, then why is it necessary for us to establish ‘youth teams’ consisting of scholars, yet operating outside of the school structures?
In the sports, arts and culture, we have numerous parents and community members involved in developing the youth at their own expense and in their own time. Much of the motivation and enthusiasm is as the result of their personal experiences and achievements in the community years back. These structures are often the source of the ‘identification of talent’ that uncovers the new stars. Our, ‘black diamonds’.
That community member, ploughing every spare cent that they can muster in producing the ‘black diamond’ is never thanked or compensated.
We are all ignoring the impact that the recruitment of one potential star, out of an Eldorado Park or Kliptown community, can have on the other twenty players in the team. We, as a nation has discovered a potential star, but possibly lost twenty others to the scrap heap.
This process is only ten years old, and the effect is clearly visible.
‘Black Diamond’ – Mining Industry:
Today, our legislation ensures that the removal of our mineral wealth does not result in the destruction of our environment, without the mining company providing guarantees that the environment will be rehabilitated for the community.
Let us support the mining of our Black Diamonds in the interests of our national pride, however, let us be very aware that we as a community, must do everything in our power to ensure that the communities we are mining from, do not have the infrastructure affected by the removal of the ‘Black Diamonds’.
We support the need to develop our previously disadvantaged community, but we should ensure that we are not using other motivations for the development.
Let not the credit go to the sponsor / union / sporting code, who wish to claim contribution to transformation, yet not participating in transformation for the people.
In our elitist sports structure we have seen sponsors, establishing a premier league covering the entire Gauteng, drawing the top eight teams from the four Regions, and leaving the previous sponsor disillusioned and they withdraw, resulting in twelve teams lost to the scrap heap.
At suburban club level, this may be OK, but when there is no school activity as a base in the Townships, we need to question many of these decisions made in good faith and with good intent.
Our children, from the youngest must be involved in order that we give our children the opportunity to develop into holistic people.
Our grass-roots structures, if well developed, will form the basis of a supply into the elitist sector, without draining the lower structures.
Why should we not have the elitist structures in Soweto within ten years?
Cedric de la Harpe
I will not support a national team till all our children play.
May I remind you of the Acting CEO of Cricket South Africa’s comment, when interviewed on Carte Blanche, February 02, 2010, we spend R300 000 000,00 on Cricket Development, yet the ‘supply line’ is empty?
Had we followed my recommendations in 2007, used local community members on a small stipend, to assist with sport in the Township Schools, the ‘supply line’ would be overflowing by now.
The successful sports communities, continually spread the message that they are bringing “HOPE” to the people in South Africa, I do not support this comment, as a matter of fact, I have been heard to angrily say that “I HATE HOPE”, I am not going to motivate it, but to the Springbok Captains, that claim that they bring hope to the humans of South Africa, you are invited to visit Soweto or Alex with me?
Cedric de la Harpe
Pamphlet 05 Sports Transformation a Tragedy
Pamphlet 07 Introduction to Human Dictate
Cedric is available to consult with all interested structures and communities, please email him of safari@tasteofafric.co.za
For the individual who would like to experience the basis of the knowledge that has become his Human Dictate philosophy, please join us for a visit to Soweto or Alexandra; where you will get greater understanding and get closer to the Human Dictate.
Cedric and Nettie de la Harpe