South Africa’s Minister of Sport has called for the suspension of apartheid-era Springboks Nick Mallett and Naas Botha from their roles broadcasting rugby after a racial row exploded on live TV at the weekend.
Broadcaster SuperSport is investigating the incident after ex-Springbok turned television analyst Ashwin Willemse walked out of a live broadcast after spraying Mallett, who also coached the Boks, and Botha.
"I've been in the game for a long time like most of us here. As a player, I've been called a quota for a long time and I've worked very hard to earn the respect I have now," Willemse said before he left the set.
“I'm not going to sit here and be patronised by these two individuals (Mallett and Botha) who played their rugby during the apartheid era, a segregated era."
South African Minister of Sport and Recreation Tokozile Xasa weighed in on the incident in a statement.
"This behaviour of entitlement by some white South Africans who continue to think that their whiteness represent better must come to an end, if it was not for a barbaric nonsensical apartheid system that privileged them we could not have implemented quota system to normalise an otherwise abnormal system," Xasa said in a statement.
"Willemse is not just a former Springbok player but in 2003 he was named SA Rugby Player of the Year, Young Player of the Year and the Player's Player of the Year. Players like Willemse, (Bryan) Habana and (Siya) Kolisi continue to make us proud as a nation and affirm that they are not token players or quota players.
"It is clear that Ashwin Willemse was referred as a quota player by his fellow panelists despite his many successes in the field of play, I call upon SuperSport to suspend the two panelists while they are busy with full investigation.
"The continued appearance of Mallett and Botha will be seen as an endorsement of their alleged racist behaviour."
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