Temba Bavuma takes a knee. Photo: EPA/DAVID GRAY
Bavuma calls for ‘collective decision’ on taking the knee
Proteas limited-overs captain Temba Bavuma believes everyday actions need to back up anti-racism awareness stances such as taking the knee.
Temba Bavuma takes a knee. Photo: EPA/DAVID GRAY
Bavuma and his teammates recently found themselves in a challenging position when Cricket South Africa issued a directive that all players must take the knee in solidarity with the BLM movement.
The directive was communicated on the eve of the Proteas’ second T20 World Cup game, and led to star wicket keeper-batsman Quinton de Kock withdrawing from that match against the West Indies.
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Bavuma handled the matter gracefully as the leader of the South African team, but in an interview with Cricinfo, he admitted the pressure that mounted on the Proteas to take a knee is “sometimes a bit unfair”.
“The important thing for me is, how does this translate into our everyday life,” Bavuma said. “That for me is the cream on top. We can all go out there, raise our fists, go on the knee, but if deep down in the heart, you’re not really for the cause, and what it stands for, and it doesn’t show in your everyday behaviour then I guess it brings into question the authenticity of it all.”
“As a South African cricket side, we have been put under immense pressure around this whole topic, more than any other international teams, more than any of our other local teams, for whatever reason that may be. I think that the work and the effort that has gone behind the scenes does not get enough attention or acknowledgement probably because of the fact that people from the outside don’t get to see or hear the conversations that we have. Sometimes the pressure that is mounted on us is a bit unfair.
“Going forward, a decision is going to have to be a collective one. That’s an important thing. We want to avoid a situation where things are being dictated or instructed towards players. Importantly, how does it show in our everyday behaviour? Not just in our Proteas team, but within the country as a whole. Our country has big big big problems and that’s where the energy, in my opinion, should really be spent.”
