New Minister of Sport Tokozile Xasa. Picture: Gallo images
The Minister of Sports and Recreation, Toko Xasa, has added her voice to the storm of controversy surrounding Ashwin Willemse’s abrupt exit from yesterday’s Supersport broadcast.
The 36-year-old former Springbok walked off during a live broadcast, after accusing fellow Supersport pundits Nick Mallett and Naas Botha of patronising and undermining him. The incident took place following the the Lions Super Rugby win over the Brumbies at Ellis Park.
In a statement released today, the Minister of Sports and Recreation says she is shocked by the alleged behaviour of the rugby analysts at SuperSport studios. She has further called for both Mallet and Botha to be suspended pending the outcome of an investigation into the incident.
“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.
“It is clear that Ashwin Willemse was referred as a quota player by his fellow panelist despite his many successes in the field of play,” Xasa said.
“I call upon SuperSport to suspend the two panelist while they are busy with full investigation. The continued appearance of Mallet and Botha will be seen as an endorsement of their alleged racist behaviour.”
Supersport released a statement earlier saying that it was looking into the incident.
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