Podcaster Penuel Mlotshwa has shared how he endured racial slurs like the K-word after questioning the dynamics of the Springboks rugby team, under coach Rassie Erasmus.
This follows criticism by rugby fans over their last team photo, featuring two black players.
PENUEL MLOTSHWA CALLED K-WORD OVER SPRINGBOKS VIEWS
In an X post, Penuel Mlotshwa revealed that he was stepping down from his support of the Springboks. According to the podcaster, this was due to his view that the national rugby team was short-changing people of colour.
While he highly praised coach Rassie Erasmus and the players, Penuel questioned why non-white players were left off the squad.
He said: “It’s really broken my heart how people like myself criticise the Springboks for asking why certain players are not there on merit…You ask why they are not playing?
“You want to figure out what’s going on, because this is a team we love and support. And when you speak out about this, you look at the comments of white racists calling me the K-word, telling me that black people shouldn’t be in rugby, and we shouldn’t worry about transformation.
Penuel continued: “I’ll keep supporting the players…but as individuals, but not as a brand. Because it seems the brand [of Springboks] is still tainted. We cannot have the hard conversations; we cannot speak about quotas.
“It reminds me of why many of us would support the All Blacks for so long”.
BEST BLACK PLAYERS BEING KEPT OUT IF THE TEAM?
Last week, Penuel Mlotshwa questioned the racial composition of the Springboks squad under coach Rassie Erasmus.
In a tweet, he posted: “I have a suspicious feeling that Willie le Roux isn’t injured. And that Rassie & co felt a bit of pressure seeing that there was only ONE Black player in the Bok squad, so they called up [Aphelele] Fassi (the best 15 in SA)”.
He added: “Are the best Black players being kept out of the Boks?”.
Penuel – who played schoolboy rugby – went on to list “black players that many have said should be in the Springbok squad but didn’t make it, for some or other reason”.
They included: Sanele Nohamba, Hacjivah Dayimani, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Phepsi Buthelezi, Celimpilo Gumede, Jurenzo Julius, Lukhanyo Am, and Makazole Mapimpi.
Defending coach Rasssie Erasmus, Penuel added: “I think he’s been the most fair and pro-transformation coach we’ve had in a while. It’s just his recent squads that look suspect”.
DO YOU AGREE WITH PENUEL’S VIEWS ABOUT THE SPRINGBOKS?
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