AfriForum wrote an open letter today to Gideon Khobane, CEO of SuperSport, in which the organisation requests SuperSport’s policy on freedom of speech to be put in writing. This follows media reports over the weekend that SuperSport will no longer be making use of former Springbok Derick Hougaard’s services after he had criticised the quota system om Twitter. SuperSport has denied the rumours behind their decision.
Kallie Kriel, CEO of AfriForum, writes in the letter that there is uncertainty over SuperSport’s position on freedom of speech. The conclusion that can be made is that SuperSport won’t tolerate any criticism of the governing party’s political agenda.
“If this is the case, it boils down to a gross violation of freedom of speech,” Kriel says.
Kriel adds that, although racially-motivated transformation in the form of representativeness and race quotas is the current politically-correct viewpoint in South Africa, it is important to note that this viewpoint is not only immoral, but also that the emphasis on race quotas to the detriment of merit destroys performance. The policy also comes down to a violation of international law regarding equality in sport.