Sensible approach to Bok race dilemma

THE announcement of the Springbok squad to contest the Rugby World Cup in France later this year will have come as a blessed relief to many following the turmoil in South African rugby over the past few months.

The last thing the sport – and for that matter the nation – needed was yet another political hue and cry over the racial composition of the team.

Any criticism that there has been was muted and measured with none of the emotion that has proved so divisive. Clearly, the word has come from the top to lay off rugby for the time being and allow the Boks to contest the World Cup unhindered by political controversy.

Even South African Rugby Union president Oregan Hoskins and Sports Minister Makhenkesi Stofile, who have both been vociferous over the need for more black players in the national team, appear to have come to terms with the fact that the squad selected was the best available.

It was also encouraging that Hoskins, after earlier criticising national coach Jake White‘s team selections, appears to have accepted that the shortage of black players of true international quality is largely the fault of his own organisation and not White.

“We agree the work has to be done (in bringing more black players into the national framework) but from the bottom up and not the way we have been doing it.

“We need to change that and make the job easier for the coach and selectors because it‘s our fault, not theirs,” Hoskins said at the weekend following the squad announcement.

We believe this is a far more sensible and refreshing approach to the issue than has previously been the case.

Clearly, it is disappointing that there are only six players of colour in the squad of 30 and we agree drastic remedial action is required to ensure the team for the 2011 World Cup is far more representative.

It is up to Saru to actively identify talented young players of colour and ensure they progress to the stage where they will force their way into the Boks because they are the best in their position.

More action and less complaining will work wonders.

Frere a sign of chaos in health care

IT was to be expected that Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang and Nomsa Jajula, her counterpart in the Eastern Cape, would balk at accepting responsibility for the parlous state of the maternity section at East London‘s Frere Hospital.

Frankly, neither is known for admitting culpability when there have been problems in their respective departments. The health minister, in particular, is a past master at deflecting criticism by laying the blame on others – usually the media.

She was at it again at the weekend in rejecting allegations that babies have died because of acute shortages of equipment at Frere, hinting that the media had taken the matter out of context.

Yet, the fact that the situation at the hospital is receiving top level attention following the publishing of an expose about baby deaths there, is an indication of just how serious matters are at the hospital.

Similarly, the fact Tshabalala-Msimang has ordered a massive increase in the maintenance budget at Frere following an investigation by a ministerial team, indicates the problems at the hospital are not just a figment of some malicious journalist‘s imagination.

The increased budget is good news for the patients at Frere but it does not disguise the fact that the public health system is in a mess and that the health minister is once again treating the symptoms of the problem and not the cause.