RUFARO SAMANGA
The veteran rugby player has added his voice to Black Lives Matter and systemic racism as the reckoning within South African sports continues.
Retired Springbok rugby player Tendai Mtawarira has recently added his voice to the Black Lives Matter conversation. Mtawarira took to social media to express his support for former teammate and current Springbok captain, Siya Kolisi, who also recently showed his support for several Black sportsmen who have shared their experiences with racism within South African sport, in the past few weeks.
South African sport continues to undergo a reckoning as it pertains to the continued systemic racism which has had a silent stronghold on the industry. The likes of Proteas cricketer Lungi Ngidi and veteran cricketer Makhaya Ntini have since shown their support for the Black Lives Matter movement, despite notable backlash, and also spoken out about possible transformation within not only cricket, but South African sports as a whole.
In Mtawarira’s latest Instagram post, he says that, “We need to afford each other the same opportunities to excel.” He goes on to add that, “I really feel that, in this time, we’re at a crossroads and a pivotal moment where we have to make a decision. There are certain things we might have endured in the past and we have to bring them to light because for us to move forward, we have to address the big elephant in the room. We have to bring about those conversations that will bring discomfort to everybody but that will allow us to grow. I feel the decisions that we make today will impact the future of our kids and the next generation.”
Mtawarira, a Zimbabwean national who is the third most most-capped Springbok player after former South African Springboks Victor Matfield and Bryan Habana, also touched on his previous troubles with the South African government and his work permit. Although now a thing of the past, the ordeal almost cost him his now illustrious career as a Springbok player.
