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South Africa
South African political party tries to block Boks from playing in Rugby World Cup
ESPN Staff
August 31, 2015

© (Photo by Steve Haag/Gallo Images)

A political party in South Africa is to take the South Africa Rugby Union to court in a bid to block the Springboks' participation in the forthcoming World Cup.

The Agency for New Agenda party have called for the North Gauteng High Court to take the Springboks' passports away to prevent them travelling to England and has called for a "judicial commission of inquiry into the lack of transformation in South African rugby".

The party's president Edward Mahlomola Mokhoanatse said in his affidavit: "The action is a public duty to defend our constitution and to consign to the rubbish bin of history all vestiges and remnants of racial bigotry, racial exclusion and discrimination. 

"Although much has been done to transform the country, the national team's rugby selection criteria are racially exclusionary and biased in favour of whites. Fikile Mbalula [the sports minister] has failed to transform rugby and any argument SARU presents to justify is failure to do so should be treated with disdain. It has betrayed the trust of millions of South Africans, continues to resist change and should attract the severest sanctions possible."

The issue of the racial makeup of the Springboks' side was propelled back on to South Africa's front pages earlier in the month when trade union Cosatu said five black Springbok players had approached them expressing their concern at the pace of transformation in the national side.

But following Friday's announcement of the Springboks squad for the World Cup, Cosatu hailed Heyneke Meyer's selection as progressive.

Cosatu's provincial secretary Tony Ehrenreich said: "Cosatu claims this as a victory for workers and a victory for transformation in rugby in South Africa. This is a move in the right direction."

© ESPN Staff