(Supplied SARU)
SARU CEO Jurie Roux reacted on the #BLM controversy in an online media briefing yesterday. He said SARU have that they are willing to have the "difficult" conversations and will tackle and solve all burning issues head-on."
On a question regarding Springbok captain, Siya Kolisi's recent Instagram post where stated his support for the #BLM movement Roux said that Kolisi is “his own man”.
“He got himself into the position where he is, and he led us to a World Cup-winning position. It is not for me or anybody else in SA Rugby to tell him what he can and can’t say on any platform. He has enough leadership capabilities and enough respect from us to allow him to tell his own story. I will never tell Siya what he can and can’t say. He must express his own opinion. I respect Siya’s remarks and also every other person that wants to express an opinion about the matter.”
Roux also said SARU is in a "happy place" regarding their efforts and performance to address the sins of the past. He said what is important is that all people should have respect for other people “whether that be Black Lives Matter, farm murders or gender-based violence”.
“As a federation, with no disrespect to any of the other federations, we have been very good in acknowledging the sins and the wrongs of the past. We have been making very good progress around transformation, especially in terms of the new Strategic Transformation Plan we have set out until 2030.
“We are now dealing with what is a basic respect for others, respect for cultural differences, respect for human life and how we treat people on a daily basis. In terms of Black Live Matter specifically, towards the issues that are currently on the table, I think we need to own up in terms of those conversations and not steer away from them. The first thing we need to do is to let people tell their stories.
“However, more importantly, we have to listen to those stories and hear what they are saying. We should let people voice what they believe is wrong. We have to continue the dialogue and we have to figure it out together. If we need to adapt to help figure it out, then absolutely we have to do that. What we should not do is steer away from uncomfortable conversations and awkward truths. Those are the realities of our lives.”