Cricket’s foundation phase is littered with racism, from the structural in elite all-boys schools that produced 65% of the Proteas who have played at a World Cup to the literal where black talent is doubted and marginalised.
On 27 October 2019, Soweto Pioneers Cricket Club abandoned its match against Khosa Cricket Club at the Stan Friedman Oval in Krugersdorp, west of Johannesburg. Pioneers captain Linda Ndlovu and coach Marumo Morena were found guilty of breaching the Central Gauteng Lions Cricket Board’s code of conduct and handed a four-match ban each. The league points were awarded to Khosa as the non-defaulting team.
According to Morena’s testimony, the Pioneers were “mentally not in the correct frame of mind” to continue the match as they felt “intimidated by the presence of a police officer in Krugersdorp”. The CGLCB found that there was no just cause for the game to end as they said no player was “intimidated or victimised”.
But what is the lay of the land further down the pyramid? Is everything green down at the grassroots? While these schools are slowly transforming to more accurately reflect the demographics of the country, they largely remain bastions of white identity with deep roots in a colonial heritage encapsulated by the Victorian ethos of muscular Christianity. Children outside of these privileged hubs have little chance of becoming a Protea.
“But we can’t put a high-class turf pitch in Alexandra and expect the next Temba Bavuma to emerge in five years. These guys will always be competing against schools that have, in some cases, a century’s worth of ingrained excellence and high standards. It’s a psychological battle as much as it is one of resources.”
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