Springbok tour

Press, 30 April 1981, Page 16

Springbok tour

Sir,—You state in your editorial that “some organisations such as the South African Council on Sport... are resisting greater integration of sports teams ... because they believe that disenfranchised segments of the population should not collaborate with the white establishment ... in sports while apartheid restricts everyday life.” This understates the position. SACOS believes it is impossible to have normal, non-racial sport in an apartheid society; that, for instance, being permitted to join an integrated Shirley team is no great deal for people forced by apartheid law to live in poverty in, say, Little River or Amberley. SACOS doesn’t just “not collaborate”; it insists that until apartheid itself is abandoned, apartheid sport will persist It wants South African sport to be boycotted to help force that abandonment, leading to the introduction of true non-racial sport. It calls on us to support it in this concept. Many people will show this support on Friday night.— Yours, etc., A. J. CAMPBELL. April 27, 1981.

Sir,—As a student of all things African and having carefully followed South African and neighbouring countrie’s progression very carefully for over 10 years, I am amazed at the .hysteria and determination of those opposing the Springbok tour. It is obvious that there is far greater reason and this ties up with Russia’s determination to isolate and neutralise yet another vital free lane mineral supply and yet another anticommunist country. I do not even attend rugby but am appalled how these people make these and other sports people pawns in their international game of boycott and violence. I have heard that they even blacklist sportsmen who will not toe their line according to their rules. This is dredging the bottom of the barrel. Reports show that on almost every level the South African Government and people are doing more in education, sport, domestic and general freedom than practically any other country in that whole continent.—Yours, etc., ROD EATWELL, Renwick. April 28, 1981.

Sir,—The Springbok tour is being used by the news media, newspapers and broadcasting, as editorial propaganda to oppose the tour. Is it not time that the reading and viewing public were given some respite from the matter? Even your editorial of April 27, headed “The tour debate” gave your readers a very long diatribe of reasons why the tour should be cancelled. You very carefully omitted to quote some very good reasons why the tour should take place. To quote a few; The tour will underline the right of sportsmen to compete against each other without political interference, which has only occurred since the emergence of the black African nations. The tour will promote association, trade and good will between our two countries, a policy preferable to the stupid short-sighted policy of isolation. It will bring an increase to our tourist trade, and thus assist our economy—Yours, etc R. V. SHAW. April 28, 1981.