Tony Becca

LAST NOVEMBER, immediately after their triumph in the rugby World Cup, South Africa, through their sports minister, Makhenkesi Stofile, and to the delight of many, white and black, but more so white, announced the end of the quota system.

In other words, after the fall of apartheid, after the coming of the ANC to power and after some 17 years of selecting their sports teams on a quota basis - so many whites and so many non-whites, or blacks, or coloureds, or Indians, South Africa announced, almost eight weeks ago, an about-turn in their controversial system of selection to their national teams with Stofile saying, loud and clear for all to hear, that quotas were out.

According to some sceptics, the quota system would weaken South Africa's rugby team in the future, that would make another success unlikely, and the move was made for one simple reason and for nothing else - to ensure a strong South African team and success in the future.

Whatever the reason, in ending the quota system, Stofile said, "We are not going to decide who must be on the team. All we are saying is expose everybody, give them an opportunity."

Experiment failed

According to Stofile, previously a supporter of the quota system, the experiment had failed, but black success in sport could still be achieved with proper funding. The focus on helping the development of blacks in sport will be now be on funding, and the Government will be investing in excess of £15 million sterling a year in helping to develop black sportsmen and sportswomen, he said.

As many before him believed was the case, he then said that "quotas were used only for window dressing for international consumption", and also that "we must kill the myth that black people cannot play certain sporting codes because they are black, so let us put our resources into the development of talent".

Cricket, however, and apparently so, still believes in the quota system - so much so that there appears to be a problem over the selection of the national team for a tour of Bangladesh, so much so that the team which was supposed to have been announced on Tuesday will not be announced until Monday.

Although one of the reasons is because Neil McKenzie and Andre Nel are injured and have to pass a fitness test, the other, according to reports, is that the squad selected for the tour includes only four coloured (non-white) players instead of the seven required, as a policy, by Cricket South Africa (CSA).

Hopping mad

Apparently, neither Herschelle Gibbs (coloured) nor Monde Zondeki (black) is in the squad, an he has said that he did not call their names, president Norman Arendse, a coloured, is hopping mad.

"My role is not to rubber-stamp the squad," said Arendse. "My role is to ensure that the CSA transformation policy is complied with. That may seem controversial to some people, but it remains the policy of CSA."

According to Mickey Arthur, however, the coach, also a selector, who is standing up for the best to represent South Africa, the coach who has been described as being "disrespectful" and "abusive" by Arendse, and the coach who runs the risk of being fired for ignoring policy, the selection panel "has been very disappointed that we have been asked t the squad".

Trouble brewing

Things appear to be so bad that captain Graeme Smith is reported to be considering tendering his resignation if the squad is changed and the players are considering going on strike.

If the quota system is still the policy of CSA, so be it. Based on the efforts being put in the development of cricket in the townships, however, or whatever they are now called, based on the promise by Stofile that more money will be spent on the development of non-whites and particularly so the blacks in sport, and based on what the non-whites - the blacks, the coloureds and the Indians - themselves think about the quota system, the Government should get involved and stop it.

The non-whites, based on those with whom I have spoken on my three visits to South Africa, including many of whom have represented South Africa, are not in favour of the quota system.

They are not in favour of it for the simple reasons that they believe that the best should represent their country, that they would not want to be selected if they are not among the best, they would not want to be in a team fighting to win alongside people who do not deserve to be there and also because they believe that CSA is doing all it can to improve the skills of the non-whites and particularly so the skills of the blacks.

Wept

Blacks like Taliep Salie, Frank Roro, Ben Malamba and Edmund Ntikinca, Tiffie Barnes, Baboo Ebrahim, 'Chicken' Bhamjee and C.J. Nichols, plus Khaya Majola - the fast bowler who took 219 first-class wickets at an average of 16.64 and who, one late night in 1991, in a Johannesburg hotel room, wept while telling me about his disappointment in not playing for his country and about his work, his dedication, in seeing that others like him play for their country, were probably all good enough to represent South Africa but for the colour of their skin.

Based on what I have heard of them, however, based on what Majola told me about himself, like Omar Henry, like others such as Makhaya Ntini, Gibbs, Ash-well Prince, Paul Adams, Zondeki and the bearded Hashim Amla who now enjoy representing their country, they loved the game so much, they believed in their skills so much that I do not believe that any of them would have wanted to represent South Africa because of the colour of their skin