Legendary sportscaster Robert Marawa said South Africans should embrace transformation in all sporting codes.
The transformation debate has been heating up in the past weeks after the Warriors lost their spot in the 1-Day Cup playoffs after being docked points for failing to meet Cricket SA‘s transformation targets, specifically not fielding enough Black African players.
Speaking to Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh, Robert Marawa argued that South African sports teams were chosen on merit rather than skin colour.
“There is no such a thing called quotas anymore. The people that play sport, they play sport because they are good. If the is a white kid that cannot be selected for the Proteas, he is not selected because there is a better kid that is there and who might happen to be black,” he said on SMWX.
If there is a great rugby player who is black, he’s excluded and there’s a white kid, who is a better player [player the better player]. Let’s not try and twist these narratives,” Marawa added.
Robert Marawa calls for Proteas to transform fully
The renowned broadcaster feels the only way for the Proteas to win the ICC Cricket World Cup is for them to transform fully. This is although the team has had 50-60 percent of black players in the team for over five years.
“We fell very short. Til today, we haven’t won a Cricket World Cup at that senior level. We’ve come short and I’ve always said that one day when we have a fully transformed Proteas team, we will win a Cricket World Cup,” he said.
“I am also encouraged when I see someone like Shukri Conrad [Proteas Test coach], who is now there and he should be literally coaching the Proteas in all formats. He has the dynamism to go all the way and coach cricket to its glory and we will find glory in him, Robert Marawa concluded.
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