KENNETH MOENG MOKGATLHE: SA is quick to respond whenever Israel is involved

Nelson Mandela said: “Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair.”

The SA Rugby Union (Saru) surprised the world by first inviting, then uninviting, Israeli team Tel Aviv Heat to compete in the new Mzansi Challenge League. The competition involves both local and overseas teams. 

Given our diversity as a nation we are continually divided over domestic and international issues. Locally, we differ about whether Jacob Zuma should be punished for his alleged wrongdoing. Sometimes the argument gets ugly, with some insisting Zuma should never go to jail while others believe he should be treated like anybody else. On the international front, we have those who are calling for our government to be firm against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, whereas the government is arguably in bed with that country. 

Then there are the long-standing political and security tensions between Israel and Palestine. The ANC has made a decision to support Palestine while painting Israel as the “bad guy”. There are nevertheless people who believe government should support the proposed two-state solution as a viable means to restore lasting peace and security in the holy land.

It is very important to give this background in view of the ANC’s vocal opposition to Israel. Saru’s decision is clearly an outcome of the ANC’s political stance and the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) organisation’s consistent hostile agenda against Israel. 

When she was attacked and ridiculed for standing up to the bullies demanding that she withdraw from the 2021 Miss Universe pageant because it was being held in Israel, Miss SA Lalela Mswane refused to be told what to do and proceeded to compete in the event. The Miss SA organisation supported her in her decision and she went on to be placed third.

Unlike Miss SA and Mswane, however, Saru failed to stand its ground against the so-called “stakeholders” who opposed the inclusion of the Israeli team. Saru president Mark Alexander said: “We have listened to the opinions of important stakeholder groups and have taken this decision to avoid the likelihood of the competition becoming a source of division, notwithstanding the fact that Israel is a full member of World Rugby and the [Olympic movement]”.

It is indeed true that Israel is a full member of World Rugby and the Olympic Movement. Saru should thus explain to those international bodies why it took the action it did. It should also let us know who the so-called “stakeholders” are. 

Saru defended the withdrawal of its invitation by claiming that it was to avoid causing division, yet it is the decision itself that has brought politics into the competition and caused division. It is a naked fact that the ANC has been campaigning against Israel for some time, vilifying one side in the conflict when it could be helping resolve the impasse in the region.

Our country’s double standards when it comes to dealing with different countries and issues is disgraceful. Russia continues to enjoy good relations with SA despite being clearly wrong in its takeover of Crimea and subsequent invasion of Ukraine. China and Zimbabwe’s human rights violations are also well documented, yet SA has never condemned either of those countries. In Iran, the government has so far arrested more than 19,600 people and about 600 people, including 69 children, have been killed by Iran’s security agencies after the brutal death in custody of Mahsa Amini.

The huge protests that erupted after Amini’s killing united the people in Iran in their commitment to pursue their quest for freedom, but as usual the SA government has said and done nothing. Yet it is quick to respond whenever Israel is involved, even before establishing the facts of the matter.

As asserted in Saru’s strategic transformation development plan for 2030: “SA Rugby’s constitution ancillary objects include, but are not limited to, pursuing policies and programmes at national and all other levels, aimed at redressing imbalances of the past and creating a genuinely nonracial, non-political and democratic dispensation for rugby in SA”.

With this statement Saru lays claim to being a non-political actor. Its latest bizarre decision strongly suggests otherwise.

• Mokgatlhe is an independent writer and political analyst based in the North West.