Other formats

    Adobe Portable Document Format file (facsimile images)   TEI XML file   ePub eBook file  

Connect

    mail icontwitter iconBlogspot iconrss icon

Salient. Victoria University Student Newspaper. [Volume 39, Number 2. 11th March 1976]

Harassment, Abuse and Intimidation

Harassment, Abuse and Intimidation.

If South Africa were moving toward non-racial sport as we keep being told, it would be reasonable to assume that these non-racial sports bodies would receive encouragement from the Government and white sports bodies. Exactly the opposite is the case, the non-racial sporting bodies have been harassed, abused and intimidated by the Government.

Mr C.M. Bassa, President of the internationally recognised South African Table Tennis Federation, had his passport withdrawn after competing in the world championships in Stockholm.

Morgan Naidoo, President of the non-racial S.A.A.S.F. was visited by the Special Branch of the Police on several occasions, was once threatened. In June 1972, he was dismissed from his employment with the Rembrandt Group of Companies of Dr Anton Rupert, only three days after he had issued a statement on behalf of his Federation, announcing that the Federation had broken all ties with the white South African Amateur Swimming Union. Last year, following S.A.A.S.U.'s expulsion from the international swimming body FIMA, Morgan Naidoo was served with a five year banning order.

Mr Hassa Howa, immediate past president of the non-racial South African Cricket Board of Control and current vice president of the S.A.S.C., was prevented by the Government from attending a meeting of the International Cricket Conference in London where he was to put the case for the affiliation of SACBA to the international body. He has had his passport removed, and earlier this year was prevented by the Government from visiting New Zealand.

Last year the Government told Norman Middleton, President of the non-racial Soccer Federation that he could attend the Annual General Meeting of FIFA, the International Football Association if he was prepared to sign a sworn statement before he left stating that he would do nothing while he was at the meeting which would be detrimental to (white) South African Soccer interests. Middleton refused.

This compares with the case with which an apologist for apartheid sport such as Leslie Sehume (who was in New Zealand last year) is able to obtain a passport and travel overseas speaking out as a mouthpiece of official Government Policy.