8 September 2008
column
Johannesburg — I WAS absolutely appalled to hear about the racist incidents at Coca-Cola Park last week. All of 54000 people went to the stadium expecting to support their team and have a good time.
But instead, the day turned into a nightmare for a woman and a man, who were racially abused and assaulted in separate incidents.
The woman was assaulted by three men at half-time in the corridors of the grounds, while the man was beaten up by a group of men in the beer garden.
There is no place for such shocking behaviour in South African sport.
What was even more disturbing about the incident involving the woman was that no one tried to help her.
If she had remained silent about it, it would have simply been swept under the carpet.
With concerted efforts being made at provincial and national level in rugby to transform the sport, which goes hand in hand with more supporters of colour at games, it is disappointing that these racist incidents are still occurring .
Not only is this unacceptable, but it confirms the belief that rugby is traditionally a "white sport", and it could deter black people from going to matches in future.
Unfortunately, these incidents are not the first we have heard about.
A few months ago, a black photographer was beaten up by a group of supporters after a Bulls game at Loftus Versfeld, which also made the headlines.
This is a free country and people have the right to attend any sports event they choose, without being discriminated against.
I agree with SA Rugby that people tend to remain silent about these incidents .
If people did speak out, perhaps we would know the true state of affairs in South African rugby.
I must, however, commend the South African Rugby Union (Saru) and the stadium management for the professional manner in which they handled the unpleasant situation. Saru was so determined to find the perpetrators, they offered a R10000 reward for anyone who could help find them .
The Springboks also publicly condemned the incident, with national coach Peter de Villiers personally apologising to the woman on behalf of the team.
But that said, the root of the problem lies with people's attitudes, and unless those change, we will continue to have these incidents at our stadiums.
People have to accept that we are a rainbow nation and that rugby is no longer a whites-only sport, but rather one that is being played across the board, and transforming at a good rate.
The sooner such racists accept that times have changed and that there is nothing they can do to stop it, the better it will be for the sport, and our society in general.
Isaacs is rugby correspondent.
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