The BLF leader adopts a surprisingly measured approach to the Springbok captain's controversial quota comment, but much of Twitter is outraged.
Black First Land First (BLF) leader Andile Mngxitama briefs media at BLF Head Office in Johannesburg, 11 November 2018, on why BLF calls for 5 Whites for every 1 Black life and an announcement of steps to be taken to ensure self defence. Picture: Nigel Sibanda
In a somewhat surprisingly restrained tone, Andile Mngxitama has offered Springbok captain Siya Kolisi the opportunity to “have a beer” with him following the flanker’s controversial comments on transformation at the weekend.
Kolisi told a Japanese news outlet that he believed late President Nelson Mandela wouldn’t have supported quotas and also expressed his belief that true transformation should exhibit a bottom-up approach.
“You shouldn’t put a number on stuff like that. If you want to talk about transformation, you have got to start there (at a grassroots level). Imagine I hadn’t gone to an English school. I wouldn’t have eaten properly, I wouldn’t have grown properly and I wouldn’t have had the preparation that the other boys did,” he said.
The Black Land First Leader doesn’t agree with the Bok skipper, but seems more than willing to have a constructive conversation with him on the matter.
https://twitter.com/AndileMngxitam1/status/1082280120604348416
Rather unsurprisingly though, many Twitter users weren’t as measured.
Black Old Greys to Siya Kolisi at the moment pic.twitter.com/Cba9JZ2str
— Mbuyiseli 🍉 (@LwaziSomya) January 7, 2019
https://twitter.com/Art_Scholar/status/1082295036304347137
https://twitter.com/siyazi/status/1082291090127024128
People like to act like you can either have talent or race, there are talented black rugby players being chocked by the system at grassroots level. And our first black captain just gave a major middle finger to those kids #SiyaKolisi
— 29MayVoteEFF (@Tickle_Me_Joey) January 7, 2019
One user even went as far as questioning Kolisi’s ability as a rugby player.
Someone needs to tell Siya Kolisi that he's not the best No.6 available to the Springboks, the only reason he's playing ahead of Jaco Kriel, Marcell Coetzee is because he's black…
— Skhomo Mhlatyana (@Vumza_) January 7, 2019
But there was some support.
It's always the people on the outside who think they know best. Siya Kolisi gave his honest opinion and because his narrative doesn't fit that of the majority he got cancelled? Get a grip man!
— Phumudzo Tshiovhe (@shepherd015) January 7, 2019
https://twitter.com/kevykay10/status/1082290673120882690
Regardless of whether or not we agree with his opinions, we need to have respect for Siya Kolisi. He's a rugby player, not a politician. Which other Springbok captain has had to answer as many political questions as he has?
— Leonard Solms 🇿🇦 🏴 (@LeonSolms) January 7, 2019
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