The failures on the field have naturally seen the spotlight shone on other matters concerning South African sports, with disastrous consequences in some instances
SPORT has over the years, served as a welcome distraction from the pressure of everyday life; an escapism that makes people forget, albeit for a few hours, the problems they face in their lives.
In this country, since the advent of democracy, the nation has somewhat found the formula that has transformed sport in general into a nation-building wonder drug.
Who can forget the way former President Nelson Mandela took the Springboks, the rugby national team, and turned it into a truly people's team in 1995? Before that rugby was at best seen as a white man's, the Afrikaner's sport. At worst it was viewed by the majority as apartheid foot soldiers at play. Madiba saw the great nation-building and reconciliatory potential of the game's unique place in the South African psyche. The Madiba magic was dusted from the history bin and put to good use for all to see as the nation bid its team farewell as it left for the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand about two months ago.
It's a pity that the two other major sports in South Africa, football and cricket, have more or less failed to capture that magic. It could perhaps be that our teams have often been found wanting on the biggest stage whenever the two sports are concerned.
We failed to progress to the knockout stages of the cricket World Cup when we hosted it here in 2003. Ditto with the Fifa World Cup when we witnessed Bafana Bafana crush out in the group stages last year.
The failures on the field have naturally seen the spotlight shone on other matters concerning South African sports, with disastrous consequences in some instances.
Cricket, for instance has found itself under scrutiny for all the wrong reasons recently.
It all started with the Indian Premier League which the country at the behest of Cricket South Africa, hosted in 2009.
It has since been revealed that unauthorised bonuses were paid to powerful administrators of the game in South Africa, and unfortunately Cricket SA CEO Gerald Majola and his board has not been exactly covered in glory in the saga. Sad for a sports that was just beginning to recover from the terrible stink of the late former Proteas captain Hansie Cronje's betting scandal.
We therefore welcome Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula's announcement that a commission of inquiry has been instituted to probe the IPL bonus mess.
It can only be good for the game and restore cricket to its rightful place in the South African sun.
Bring honour back to sport
The failures on the field have naturally seen the spotlight shone on other matters concerning South African sports, with disastrous consequences in some instances
SPORT has over the years, served as a welcome distraction from the pressure of everyday life; an escapism that makes people forget, albeit for a few hours, the problems they face in their lives.
In this country, since the advent of democracy, the nation has somewhat found the formula that has transformed sport in general into a nation-building wonder drug.
Who can forget the way former President Nelson Mandela took the Springboks, the rugby national team, and turned it into a truly people's team in 1995? Before that rugby was at best seen as a white man's, the Afrikaner's sport. At worst it was viewed by the majority as apartheid foot soldiers at play. Madiba saw the great nation-building and reconciliatory potential of the game's unique place in the South African psyche. The Madiba magic was dusted from the history bin and put to good use for all to see as the nation bid its team farewell as it left for the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand about two months ago.
It's a pity that the two other major sports in South Africa, football and cricket, have more or less failed to capture that magic. It could perhaps be that our teams have often been found wanting on the biggest stage whenever the two sports are concerned.
We failed to progress to the knockout stages of the cricket World Cup when we hosted it here in 2003. Ditto with the Fifa World Cup when we witnessed Bafana Bafana crush out in the group stages last year.
The failures on the field have naturally seen the spotlight shone on other matters concerning South African sports, with disastrous consequences in some instances.
Cricket, for instance has found itself under scrutiny for all the wrong reasons recently.
It all started with the Indian Premier League which the country at the behest of Cricket South Africa, hosted in 2009.
It has since been revealed that unauthorised bonuses were paid to powerful administrators of the game in South Africa, and unfortunately Cricket SA CEO Gerald Majola and his board has not been exactly covered in glory in the saga. Sad for a sports that was just beginning to recover from the terrible stink of the late former Proteas captain Hansie Cronje's betting scandal.
We therefore welcome Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula's announcement that a commission of inquiry has been instituted to probe the IPL bonus mess.
It can only be good for the game and restore cricket to its rightful place in the South African sun.
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