Business of Sport
Naas in SA Hall of Fame spat
2011-10-05 11:31
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Johannesburg - The new South African Sports Hall of Fame has launched in Soccer City, however some of the directors have distanced themselves from the event – according to media reports.
The Sowetan revealed that the directors, with Ntambi Ravele at the forefront, were unhappy after accusing co-ordinator Naas Botha of deciding to sideline them.
The South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) has warned Botha that it has not endorsed a new hall of fame.
SASCOC CEO Tubby Reddy said in a letter to Botha: “We had initially endorsed the hall of fame that was launched in 2009.”
“We noticed that the SA Sports Hall of Fame has been dissolved and instead replaced by a new body called SA Sports and Arts Hall of Fame.”
“To date we as SASCOC have not signed any new agreement with the new body, Sasahof.”
Ravele commented: “South African sport comes out of a very painful history of racism, division and isolation by the international community, abuse by certain unscrupulous administrators, lack of resources and lack of funding and lack of recognition of our past and present sporting stars.
“This has prevented the South African sporting personalities from receiving the recognition and the accolades befitting sporting heroes. Sewsunker "Papwa" Sewgolum, Steven "Kalamazoo" Mokone, Vusi "Stadig my Kind" Makhatini and Zola Budd, to name a few, have never been given the national honours that they so much deserved.
“I want to put it on record that myself and other directors of this concept do not and wish not to be associated with the newly formed Sasahof.”