The Democratic Alliance (DA) has noted with concern the calling off of international friendly matches between Bafana Bafana and their African counterparts. The withdrawal of teams from the friendly matches is a clear message: ‘fix your broken country!’
Madagascar has joined Zambia in calling off a football match against South Africa.
The Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) were due to host Bafana Bafana in Lusaka on Saturday, but they pulled out because of the surge in violence against foreign nationals, and the looting and burning of foreign-owned shops.
Clearly, the protracted xenophobic violence has further weakened our relationship with our African counterparts and is now affecting our national soccer team’s participation in sport.
It is not just South Africans and the opposition that are standing up against the country’s economic and social collapse but the rest of the world as well, including our fellow Africans on the continent.
The DA will write to the Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, Nathi Mthethwa to request that he engages with his counterparts to find a common ground that will urgently resolve the current impasse.
It cannot be that our national teams have to pay the price of the ANC’s failure to address the myriad of crises the country faces.
These matches are important not just for the development of the game but for cohesion among African countries where the game of football has become a religion.
Another undesirable effect is that money used for hiring stadiums will as a consequence be wasted, supporters and small business vendors of big sporting events will also be left disappointed.
The DA urges government to address socio-economic challenges such social inequality, poverty, and the lack of jobs in the country that may have led to the spontaneous outburst of criminality and prejudice against African nationals.
We condemn any form of violence perpetrated against our African brothers and sisters.
Government must act decisively against the perpetrators of these xenophobic attacks and criminality to restore law and order, as well as build an economy that works for all.
Sport must continue to be an important tool for social cohesion between us and our fellow African brothers and sisters.