Siya comments evoke ugly side of social media
REACTION: The ugly side of social media came to fore this week in the wake of Springbok captain Siyamthanda Kolisi’s comments on transformation.
In an interview with @FreemanrugbyJPN of KYODO NEWS in Japan, Kolisi tried to articulate his views on why transformation should not be a numbers game.
Kolisi said that he does not believe iconic former South African President Nelson Mandela would have backed racial quotas for the national team.
“I don’t think he [Mandela] would have supported that [quotas], but I don’t know him,” Kolisi told Rich Freeman of Kyodo News.
“I would not want to be picked because of my skin colour because that surely would not be good for the team, and the guys around you would know.”
The interview and Kolisi’s views in them have evoked strong reactions – on both sides of the spectrum.
Many of the thousands of reactions on social media were without context and some rather ugly – such as the one that suggested Kolisi ‘needs a freaken tire around his neck’.
Not all his detractors were that hateful, but even former Springbok loose forward Thando Manana expressed his “disappointments” with Kolisi.
He also has many supporters.
Below is a sample of the social media storm that erupted …
Im so Dissapointed in Bok capt @robertmarawa Why is 🇿🇦 Rugby system made like this? All of a sudden he believe that you have to be from Model C schools to be Springbok, that’s misleading cos it’s a thought that people have cos of the system. These Boks 👇👇didn’t attend Model C pic.twitter.com/wvCJcOXRDE
— ThandoManana (@TandoManana) January 7, 2019
7. On whether Mandela would not have approved of redress, hai ke angazi mina, andizi, we need to let Madiba rest and do our work. We have a damn lot of it to do.
— #MeToo (@Gao_Phala) January 8, 2019
Siya Seriously needs to be Educated Zizi, what he says in that video is exactly what Rassie said earlier. I also want him to Quantify his statement and not Apologize https://t.co/Tb7tXlcimj
— ThandoManana (@TandoManana) January 7, 2019
6. He is right, that for transformation, we need to start at grassroots, but also we need to start up here, where the same brilliance is still being denied a chance. Because it’s not like up here it has been all fixed. We know it has not
ADVERTISEMENT— #MeToo (@Gao_Phala) January 8, 2019
What was racist about what #SiyaKolisi said? I’m lost because all I’m hear is nothing but the truth. But vele kunjalo iqiniso liyababa
— Thabo Kubeka (@thabo_kubeka) January 8, 2019
I’m liking this debate as it seems to be uniting regular black and white folk against bigoted black and white folk in SA. (And folk who jump to conclusions better than Matfield used to jump in the lineout)
Long live our Captain, #SiyaKolisi
— matthewlowry (@greenplasticgun) January 8, 2019
The first mistake most white people and their sunken placed #SiyaKolisi don’t understand is that, transformation does not mean putting unqualified players just so we can fit the racial demographics
Allow me to make you understand what #Transformation is about..
— Unapologetically blunt (@Isaac_Moselane) January 8, 2019
Pity he deleted this one as it would’ve been good to show the hate this man fosters. Even calling for the necklacing of Siya! pic.twitter.com/ezlwC43fSD
— I am an African 🇿🇦 (@Clint_ZA) January 8, 2019
Seeing as #SiyaKolisi is still trending, can outrage twitter clarify this for me. Do you have the full interview, or is your outrage based on the 2-minute clip circulating on the net? Akere context is everything?
— Luka 🇿🇦 (@MadeInMoruleng) January 8, 2019
The first mistake most white people and their sunken placed #SiyaKolisi don’t understand is that, transformation does not mean putting unqualified players just so we can fit the racial demographics
Allow me to make you understand what #Transformation is about..
— Unapologetically blunt (@Isaac_Moselane) January 8, 2019
So yourself a favour Google all the recent Black spring ok players and check the schools they went to. High schools specifically
It will just confirm the point he is trying to make#SiyaKolisi#SiyaKolisi— Teebee_wa mathomo (@JuniorSematla) January 8, 2019
Your rugby fav Siya kolisi pulling Kanye West moves. Already drinking from posioned well. #SiyaKolisi pic.twitter.com/IGacyhRUhs
— NegroWithAttitude (@WekwaMutetwa) January 8, 2019
SARU was told about transformation in 2002,if maybe they were serious about it developed players from then,we wouldn’t have this problem #SiyaKolisi
— Nkaoza1 (@Nkaoza12) January 8, 2019
People are bored or very stupid. Most of the people critizing #SiyaKolisi has never played rugby in their lives.
— Jason van Zyl (@JasonvanZyl5) January 8, 2019
“An affirmative action goal provides a target to strive for and to measure the success of your recruitment efforts.A quota indicates that the result is pre-determined and inflexible.”https://t.co/ylhUa9ItxH#SiyaKolisi #transformation#quotas#affirmativeaction
— Afrikan Optimist (@sszonke) January 8, 2019
I see some are trying to sanitize Siya Kolisi because its their fav. we are trying to do a system which was put over decades ago. Qouta sytem to me is Equity puting everyone at par #SiyaKolisi Interview #SiyaKolisi pic.twitter.com/ppsX6Gfeu3
— NegroWithAttitude (@WekwaMutetwa) January 8, 2019
Malcolm X and Samora Machel warned us about Blacks like #SiyaKolisi. He honestly believes that he’s in the #Springbok team purely because of his talent. If it wasn’t for the quotas system, he wouldn’t be in the team, at all. I don’t doubt that he’s talented, but he’s also naive.
— Samora 🇿🇦 (@Samora_Jwambi) January 8, 2019
There is no sport in township schools, how do u expect kids to become springboks rugby players….. that’s #SiyaKolisi point.
— Sakamanaught (@vodkadubeel) January 8, 2019
An interview I did with #Springboks captain #SiyaKolisi in December in Tokyo seems to have hit a nerve in South Africa over the weekend.
For the point of view of clarity here is the question and answer in full. @BrendenNel @SimonBorchardt @SARugbymag https://t.co/qBCSaAdSPx
— Rich Freeman (@FreemanrugbyJPN) January 7, 2019
Kolisi ninterview Parts One and Two:
