S. Africa bans four sporting bodies from bidding for international tournaments

South African Minister of Sport and Recreation, Fikile Mbalula on Monday announced a ban on certain sporting bodies from bidding for international tournaments.

The ban affects the country's sport federations of rugby, cricket, athletics and netball.

The minister said he imposed the ban because the federations failed to create enough opportunities for black players.

The South African Rugby Union had said it would bid for the 2023 Rugby World Cup by the time of the June deadline.

But Mbalula said the ban is in place for at least a year.

Of the country's five major sports federations, only the footfall federation has met transformation targets set by the government in 2014 to create enough opportunities for black players.

The opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) reacted strongly to the ban, saying "this is a poorly thought out gimmick" to hide the ruling African National Congress' (ANC's) continuous failure to develop sport for black South Africans and undo the damaging legacy of Apartheid.

"The reality is that this ban will not make any substantial difference to the status quo, as none of these federations have formally submitted bids for mega events, nor has government offered to support any existing bids," DA Shadow Minister of Sport and Recreation, Solomon Malatsi said.

"This shows just how much the ANC has changed. Instead of doing what is needed to put the most vulnerable in our society first, they opt for a smokescreen that will do nothing to correct more than 300 years of colonialism and Apartheid," he said.

In the past, the Apartheid government deliberately and maliciously sought to ensure that only white South Africans received resources.

The DA, as part of its founding values, upholds and cherishes diversity. We want all sporting teams to reflect all the people who call South Africa home. We want this to be done by sustained and rapid development of sporting infrastructure and grassroots development in those communities who still carry the burden of the past, Malatsi said.

"The sad truth is that this ban will do nothing to change the status quo, because the ANC will continue to waste money on corruption, and do little to provide opportunities for black South Africans who need it most.

"The DA wants to bring about the change that is needed to change the horrific legacy of the past-this is change that will create jobs, deliver better services, and stop corruption. This is the change that will move South Africa forward again," he said. Enditem