Cricket South Africa has drafted a plan of action to tackle social injustices and racism in cricket after the Black Lives Matter movement gathered great support among the local cricket fraternity.
The governing body announced a set of strategies developed by the transformation committee of the board under its project, Cricket for Social Justice and Nation Building (SJN).
This comes after a ‘national outcry’ to CSA to get actively involved with the handling of racism and discrimination in cricket, with many current and former black Proteas players speaking out publicly.
The project will address the following:
- The establishment the Office of the Transformation Ombudsman, whose core function will include the management of the independent complaints system, convene a national SJN imbizo and provide assurance regarding the extent to which transformation programmes are impactful on society, among others
- Engage in the healing, restoration and uniting process of cricket players, fans, and the nation, starting with the disgruntled former players
- Formation of the Restoration Fund – to deal with opportunity lost due to discrimination
- Promote and intensify Diversity, Belonging and Inclusivity (DIBS) program implementation.
CSA says it continue active talks and discussions with all relevant stakeholders in order to create platform that will allow cricket to be more inclusive and transparent throughout every structure.
CSA president Chris Nenzani apologised to all players who have recounted their personal experiences over the past two weeks, suffering through racist notions within the Proteas camp or at provincial level.
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‘We are sorry that our cricket players had to endure the emotional hardships that they did; subjugated by their peers along racial lines under our new democracy that enjoined us to embrace reconciliation and inclusivity,’ said Nenzani.
‘SJN is the first-of-its-kind project meant to rid cricket of apartheid racial discrimination. This is the very important project that all stakeholders must make sure it succeeds for the future sustainability of cricket.
‘The fortunes of cricket, its players, stakeholders, and fans are not going to be held to ransom by the wayward few who definitely have no place within our ranks. We are determined to pull out all stops to ensure that healing takes place for those who have been wronged, and that perpetrators are exposed, sanctioned, and isolated.’
