LATELY talking about transformation in sports makes one sound like a broken vinyl.

It has somehow turned into a cliché. But reading about the eligibility or otherwise of Tendai Mtawarira (to tour with the Springboks) was a rude awakening.

Does the inclusion of a foreign player really advance the cause of transformation? Hardly! In fact, it defeats the purpose.

It also exposes the contempt with which some sports administrators treat transformation and the disdain for our country's laws.

If transformation is taken seriously, why are black players failing to come through the ranks up to Springbok level?

If an analogy were to be drawn between investment in transformation and private enterprise, then this is a case of throwing money into a bottomless pit since there has hardly been any return on investment.

Though it has been repeated ad nauseam that transformation is not a numbers game, but an empowerment tool linked to a paradigm shift, the Mtawarira case clearly demonstrates that rugby administrators are simply chasing numbers in order to deal with this "irritation".

This approach is not helpful because it serves to entrench the perception that rugby is a sport exclusively for minorities. This curtails its appeal to the majority.

Hence, a change of attitude is urgently needed if we are to save our sports and continue on a winning path.

Mogomotsi Mogodiri,Johannesburg