Sport Minister Fikile Mbalula has confirmed that the government would support SA Rugby’s bid to host the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
Mbalula made the statement in a media conference this week following the announcement that the Commonwealth Games Federation had stripped Durban of its right to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
The minister’s support for the 2023 World Cup is a staggering turnaround 11 months after he banned rugby from bidding for any major events because of a poor transformation record.
His original decision to sanction rugby was based on a report by the Eminent Persons Group (EPG) on sports transformation. Two other sporting codes were similarly reprimanded.
EPG chairman Willie Basson said the group had completed a follow-up report to ascertain whether rugby had improved its record since the original report was published.
Basson told Business Day the EPG had handed its new findings to the minister but he was not at liberty to disclose them.
Based on Mbalula’s utterances in Durban on Tuesday‚ SA Rugby has either done enough to prove its transformation credentials or Mbalula is looking for another horse to back after the fiasco of the 2022 Commonwealth Games situation.
Mbalula’s revised stance on rugby is hardly surprising‚ given the embarrassment of Durban being the only city to bid for the Commonwealth Games and having the honour taken away over financial differences.
To add to the confusion‚ a 2023 World Cup delegation is in SA and met the minister in Johannesburg on Wednesday.
"Our only problem with
rugby was over transformation‚" Mbalula told the media.
"We are meeting each other with regards to that. There is good cooperation between the government and rugby and we are moving ahead."
He said: "As we speak now, World Rugby is in the country and we welcome them here. We are ready to bid and we are following the process."
SA Rugby has fulfilled all the obligations to ensure its bid meets World Rugby deadlines even though it has so far operated without the endorsement of the government.
Despite Mbalula’s public support for the World Cup on Tuesday‚ SA Rugby has yet to receive a formal backing and the minister has not officially rescinded the ban imposed in April 2016.
To host the World Cup, SA Rugby needs the government to underwrite the costs of staging the tournament‚ which includes a "fee" of approximately R2bn to World Rugby.
TMG Digital
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