By Frank Enright
"The role of sport in our country has become a priority because it is the first phase of unifying the youth in our country. We see sport as the beginning to implement all of our policies, through the youth and other organs in our society", says leading ANC sports spokesperson, Bill Jardine.
In Australia February 4-11, as a guest of the ACTU-run Australian People for Health, Education and Development Abroad (APHEDA) and Australian Rugby League, Jardine is a founding member of the National Sports Congress of South Africa and a member of the ANC Sports Commission.
"Until Barcelona, blacks in South Africa had not been represented at Olympic level for more than 100 years. This is a damning reflection on the effect of sport as a weapon of division in our country over many generations", he says.
Jardine explains that there are no black sporting heroes for South African children and no opportunity for the young to develop their skills. Through apartheid, millions of young people have been denied the social, educational and physical benefits that sport brings.
Even many recreational activities were out of bounds. For example, 90% of black people can't swim because they've been denied access to the water. It was only four years ago that blacks were allowed to use sections of the beaches, and then often only the rockiest and most dangerous parts.
But all that is changing. Sport is the only sector, at present, not in the hands of the racist regime, says Jardine. "Sport now has the chance to be one of the key ways to unite people in our country."
Running for election in the province covering Pretoria and Johannesburg, Jardine as an ANC candidate will almost certainly be elected. A lifelong campaigner against apartheid — imprisoned three times and spending a total of three years in solitary confinement — he has been active in community politics; he is responsible for the development of 70 sporting codes in his province. At the age of 47, Jardine will able to vote for the first time on April 27.
"The youth in our country have been engaged in our struggle on many levels; 50% of our population is under 25. They are the marginalised generation, and they are those who didn't enjoy the normal life of other children around the world."
APHEDA has assisted the South African School Sports Congress, which consists of 75% of black youth in the country, around 2 million at school level. In Soweto, for instance, all of the 400 schools are affiliated to the SASSC. A national sports congress is now debating the future of sports.
Cricket is a major sport in South Africa, and the team which recently toured Australia accepted the conditions of re-entry into the international sporting arena by projecting a new South Africa and the concept of nation building.
National teams will be selected on merit, Jardine insists, but beyond that, "We select teams on merit and create opportunities for those we feel will be able to take their place in the national team in years to come.
"In cricket our under-21 team has about 40% black players. In the grade below, this rises to 75%. So, soon you will be seeing black spin bowlers coming to Australia, as well as fast bowlers and good batsmen", he assures us with determination and a chuckle.
The Australian cricket team is widely accepted by the majority of people living in the black townships; Jardine says that when Alan Border visited a township on February 8, all the local schools took a day off to welcome him.
However, Rugby Union, which has attained almost the status of a state religion in the white community, remains a last bastion of apartheid; racists control the sport in the provinces. Hence the increasing ties with Australian Rugby League.
"Rugby League has no history of racism as far as we're concerned. It is clean in South Africa." Rugby League will play a meaningful role as one of the developing codes; it will play a role in making inroads into Rugby Union as an alternative sport. The game will unite youth across colour lines, says Jardine, who is very happy to be associated with Australian Rugby League.
Soccer in South Africa was dominated by the white community for many years, until it was expelled by the international federation. The whites then abandoned the game and the black community took it over, but in an unorganised manner. The game is played widely in the townships, and Jardine is confident that with funds and organisation, South Africa will become an international soccer giant.
As more blacks became involved in sport, the racist regime gradually withdrew sports funding. Jardine expects the new government to reverse this but, he insists, the international community can still play a vital role in funding and development.
Jardine points to the role of women in the struggle against apartheid as being crucial and notes their many sacrifices. "In the nature of African culture, women didn't come into sport, and only now are we setting up structures to give an expression to women in sports in our country."
Black women are now being integrated into netball and table tennis, in particular. The challenge is to involve women in track and field events: "We're looking forward to having black women sprinters in the Sydney Olympics".
With a new government installed after April, Jardine would like to see, over time, a sports institute similar to the Australian model developed, based on the provinces. He is impressed with both the Scandinavian and Cuban models, which involve people through community programs and in after school instruction.
"Most of the news coming through is about the violence in South Africa. There is other news also — people trying to develop a non-racial society in our country. Sport is a unifying factor."
Sport was a tool of apartheid. It was a weapon used by the international community to isolate the racist regime in Pretoria. It is now a part of the process of breaking down the legacy of apartheid and building a new non-racial society.
"South Africa was a leading sports nation at one stage. We can become that again if we've got peace and democracy", Jardine concluded.