OPINION
The time to pretend that sports and politics are distinct from each other has long passed. Just as the price of bread is dependent on politics, the representational quotas in sports are dependent on politics. To want to separate sports from politics seeks to erase the painful truth that sports, until not that long ago, was highly political. It seeks to erase the fact that certain groups of people were not allowed to participate or even attend certain sporting events.
Is this legacy completely erased? Of course not, that is why there are so many incidents of racial violence in sporting games by players, supporters and even board members. The decision by Quinton de Kock to refuse to take the knee when his teammates did can, and in fact should, be read as highly political.
De Kock, a member of the national cricket team of South Africa, refused to take the knee at the T20 World Cup, and caused quite a stir of mixed emotions among South Africans. De Kock further pulled out of the World Cup 12 match against West Indies after Cricket South Africa ordered all of its players to take a knee after every game of the tournament.
Those who do not know what taking the knee is may think it is something embarrassing or even shameful. Simply explained, taking the knee is a gesture of defiance against racism. It became popular after the killing of George Floyd (a black man) by American police. Taking a knee has become something of tradition which started after American footballer Colin Kaepernick took the knee during a national anthem. He said, “he could not stand to show pride in the flag of a country that oppressed black people”.
If this is the reason for taking the knee, why would De Kock refuse? The question is very important, but difficult to answer, mainly because we cannot go inside De Kock’s mind and determine his subjective reasons. (He has since apologised and indicated he would follow Cricket South Africa’s kneel directive). What we can do though, is to use this incident to highlight some observations.
Some black people are deluded into thinking that racial inequality ended when apartheid as government policy came to an end. They believe that all these campaigns and calls for transformation are unnecessary. Often, people who think like this are those who enjoy particular privileges and comforts. Malcom X would have called them ‘house negroes’ and Steve Biko would have called them ‘non-whites’. The point here is that blacks who occupy a certain position in the societal hierarchy tend to forget that there are millions of black people who are still adversely affected by the vestiges of the past.
There’s absolutely no doubt that the Constitution of this country guarantees everyone the right to freedom of association. What this means is that there is no single human being who should be compelled to participate in a campaign that they do not agree with. But ethically, and I think ethics ought to be considered, what does it mean for someone to not to want participate in a movement that seeks to improve the conditions of his people?
De Kock, who proudly says that he has a black parent, should know that South Africa is characterised by racial inequality. It should be in his mind that there still exists structural racism and as an athlete, he likely knows very well what taking the knee stands for. If these assumptions are true, the meaning of his refusal to take the knee is terrifying.
In conclusion, what I also wish to highlight is that it is not enough for us to be enraged and disappointed by incidents such as these. Because often after a couple of days, we forget as if nothing happened. We need to appreciate that the system of white power is always functioning, pitting us against each other, using our capacities for its benefits. It subjects us to everyday violence. It created and keeps us in the townships, subjects us to poverty and unemployment. It does this using our very own as agents.
Perhaps I have said many things, some of them obvious, but if the De Kock incident is read critically with its nuances, it acts as an anecdote of the complexities of everyday South Africa.
Mcebo Dlamini is a former leader of student protests at Wits University.
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