Critique on Manie Libbok “remnants of the past”

The critique on Manie Libbok over the Springboks’ defeat against Argentina this past Saturday is in a way a remnant of our shared history, says Heindrich Wyngaard, Executive Chairperson of the civil rights organisation Cape Forum.

“What many of Libbok’s critics refuse to take into account is the price he had to pay – what he had to overcome – as a poor, coloured, Afrikaans speaking, rural child from the Eastern Cape to advance to the Bok squad.”

“It is this type of pressure that is not part of most of his teammates’ realities,” says Wyngaard. “It also allows him to bring hope to many children who are still caught up in these circumstances in the type of communities that produced a Manie Libbok.”

Cape Forum believes that all players should receive a fair chance to improve their shortcomings regardless of race or cultural background. When they make a mistake, they should still be supported as representatives of the country in national sporting teams. The organisation also believes South Africans should not react unilaterally to national teams’ defeats; likewise, we should not celebrate victories selectively.

Wyngaard says: “The realisation that one comes to on the eve of Heritage Day is that we still have a lot to talk about to cultivate a better understanding of each other’s views. Cape Forum wants to play a significant, constructive role in this.”