Tracking the Springboks as a Political Symbol in South Africa

Between 1948 and 1994, South Africa's government enforced apartheid.

During the period of apartheid in South Africa, racial discrimination was painfully present in every aspect of daily life.  As the white minority dominated the black majority, racism manifested itself not only in the country’s laws, but the recreational pastime of sports, as well.  Rugby, in particular, called for the exclusion of South Africa’s black citizens, serving as yet another area in which the country discriminated against them.  The country’s national rugby team, the Springboks, represents a prime example of such discrimination and further reflects how much sports was—and still is—connected to the country’s political structure.  

Global Reaction during the Era of Apartheid 

The Springbok's racial discrimination policies were unsurprisingly met with opposition from the international community, with many countries forbidding their teams from playing against them.  In 1967, for example, New Zealand Prime Minister Keith Holyoake declined a proposed visit of New Zealand's own national rugby team, the All Blacks, to South Africa, stating, "In this country we are one people."  Interestingly enough, however, in 1928, 1949 and 1960, New Zealand’s team had prohibited Maori and black players from attending South African tours—a decision that the country would much later apologize for. 

As time went on, many other countries took a stand with New Zealand in protesting the team's policies and South Africa’s apartheid regime.  Nelson Mandela later revealed that such protests served as a source of optimism for the future during his long imprisonment: “The sun shone into the dark cells of Robben Island and transformed the oppressive Soweto dungeons of despair into beacons of hope.”  To signify its disapproval of South Africa's white rule, the United Nations eventually called for a sports boycott across the entire globe by the end of the late 1960s.  The country’s international isolation in sports soon followed and continued until 1992, when the country finally began talks of bringing an end to the institutional racism that plagued the country.  With a forthcoming multiracial democracy, the Springboks were then able to compete in international sporting events.

1995 Rugby World Cup

In 1995, President Mandela presented the World Cup trophy to Piennar.

The 1995 Rugby World Cup served as a major turning point for both the country and the Springboks, marking the first time that the team was allowed to participate in the event.  The Springboks ultimate win led to the now much talked about moment in which President Mandela walked on the field sporting a Springbok jersey to shake hands with Springbok captain Francois Piennar.  Even inspiring the movie plot of Invictus, the moment is regarded as a symbolic gesture that represented the welcoming of a new era in South Africa’s political structure.  As John Carlin from the South Africa-based Independent Online states:

 “For decades Mandela had stood for everything white South Africans most feared; the Springbok jersey had been the symbol, for even longer, of everything black South Africans most hated. Now suddenly, before the eyes of the whole of South Africa, and much of the world, the two negative symbols had merged to create a new one that was positive, constructive, and good. Mandela had wrought the transformation, becoming the embodiment not of hate and fear, but generosity and love.”

A Long Overdue Apology

Despite the changes in the country’s political landscape, South Africa failed to issue an apology for its longstanding discrimination until just last year, when it finally expressed regret for its exclusion of players on the basis of race.  This long-awaited apology came from both South Africa and New Zealand’s rugby unions for their team’s exclusion of Maori and black players during apartheid.  Oregan Hoskins, the president of the South African Rugby Union, stated that the Maori players that were prohibited from visiting the country were “innocent victims of the racist ideology of our former government.”  Hoskins also apologized to black South Africans that were not allowed to represent the country throughout the “long dark years” of apartheid.  New Zealand’s Rugby Union too expressed its regret for forbidding its own Maori and black team members from playing in games in South Africa.

The Springboks Today

White players still make up an overwhelming majority of the Springbok team.

Still, it is important to note that despite the evolution of a multiracial democracy in the country and the apology for past policies, the Springboks have remained primarily made up of white citizens.  Serving as a source of contention in the country, many argue that, as a national sports team, the Springboks should be more representative of South Africa’s racial demographics.  As a result, the South African government and its citizens have long pressured the team to implement racial quotas—as found with other sporting teams in the country—in their selection of players, but the idea has been repeatedly shut down.   

In February, however, Springboks coach Peter de Villiers refuted the idea that he felt pressure from anyone to select players according to their race, stating that he did not have obligations to promise a spot on the team to anyone.  An article by Jamie Pandaram in New Zealand-based Stuff states that this “obligation” is implicit: “While the racial quota system is often discussed and debated in South African sports, there are no clear guidelines made public.  There is a gentleman's agreement to pick a certain number of black players in Super Rugby teams, generally understood to be two starting players and two on the bench.”

Now, nearly two decades after the Springboks—and South Africa—abolished its racial discrimination policies, the team is still working to rid itself of the symbolism it held for the apartheid regime, with many believing that it has indeed done so.  In an opinion piece titled “’The Springbok Emblem Must Go’” featured in South Africa’s Mail and Guardian, reporter Sentletse Diakanya writes, “Nothing that represented oppression in this country is more transformed than that Springbok emblem […]The majority of South Africans couldn’t care less about what the Springbok emblem used to represent but are encouraged by what it represents now and would continue to represent in future.”  Now one of the most successful teams in international sports, the Springboks will continue to evolve with South Africa as the country makes efforts to finally move past its dark history of apartheid.