2016-06-10Staff Report 2 Here we go again!!! Just as many Namibians started to applaud South African Minister of Sport, Fikile Mbalula, for his no holds barred approach towards the much-trumpeted burning issue of transformation – our sports administrators are at it again!!!. There is an aura of arrogance and flagrant disregard for clear directives punctuated by sheer lack of respect for authority amongst many a sporting official in Namibian sporting disciplines. The composition of the newly elected lily-white Cricket Namibia (CN) Board of Directors is grave cause for concern and must be seriously addressed and arrested if need be. Without beating about the bush, an absolute vicious circle is at play here with the very same old faces being recycled, notwithstanding the notion that these were indeed the architects behind the lack of, or rather tortoise-paced, transformation in Cricket Namibia. Yours truly has said it before and will continue to reiterate the statement for the umpteenth time: those that have been entrusted to run an eye over our sport should at all time consider and pay urgent attention to the country’s demographic layout when it comes to national representation. What really puzzles the mind is nobody tends to bother or pay serious attention to all these shenanigans that have become so prevalent in some of our leading sports codes. Dear readers, please pardon my impatience, I’m damn sure many of you would scorn to own me in a lie if I put it blindly that the buck stops with the relevant authorities. In this case, the portfolio ministry and its bedfellows, the country’s presiding sports body and the Namibia Sports Commission (NSC) must take the flak for their adopted casual wait-and-see approach, or rather reluctance, towards the issue of transformation. It’s incumbent upon the relevant sports associations or umbrella bodies to step in and make their presence felt, if we are to stop these nonsensical elections of members who are only there to serve and advance the interest of their own kith and kin at the expense of the masses. NRU must get its ducks in the row The mere fact that our national rugby team has been regular customers at the IRB World Cup finals over the last five episodes should not give them carte blanche to be allowed to get away with murder or daylight robbery for that matter. Departed mentor Danie Vermeulen was accused of being a racist for not selecting or fielding enough players of colour in his teams and this might have hastened his sudden departure. But alas, looking at the current composition of the Namibian rugby squad defending their Nations Cup in Romania one is obliged to have second thoughts about those misplaced perceptions. Well, they say statistics don’t lie - the Namibian squad has now lesser players of colour in their starting line-up as opposed to under Vermeulen’s tenure. So, shall we then conclude this is a step backwards? I’m just asking. Until such time quotas are introduced to level the playing field, these problems will persist and remain debatable for ages to come. Quotas should be introduced as a matter of fact across all spheres of sports bodies, from office-bearers to athletes, because as long as you have people in administration who have not embraced unity, it will defeat the purpose of transformation. A quick glance at the NRU website reveals the real picture: our learned colleagues holed up in Lichtenstein-Strasse still prefer to communicate in Afrikaans, notwithstanding that English is our official lingo. I rest my case. 2016-06-10Staff Report 2
