AfriForum sides with Quinton de Kock in refusal to 'take the knee'
Lobby group AfriForum says it's siding with national cricketer Quinton de Kock following Tuesday's fallout over the taking of the knee.
De Kock came under fire after her ditched the Proteas match against the West Indies over a directive for players to 'take the knee' before all World Cup matches.
The decision raised eyebrows as De Kock had previously refused to take part in the anti-racism gesture.
While governing body Cricket South Africa (CSA) mulled a possible sanction against de Kock, AfriForum has jumped to his defence.
"AfriForum strongly condemns the directive issued by Cricket South Africa (CSA), wherein all Proteas players are forced to take the knee. In terms of this directive, all cricketers who want to represent South Africa at the T20 World Cup must take the knee before games. Failure to do so will presumably lead to being dropped from the team and facing sanction from CSA," says AfriForum's Ronald Peters.
"The unanimous decision, made by the CSA Board on 25 October is an ultra-vires abuse of authority."
Peters believes CSA's orders are a breach of the Constitution.
"The decision will certainly not pass Constitutional muster if challenged by a court of law as it violates a whole host of rights protected in the Constitution. These violated rights include the right to equality and the right to not be unfairly discriminated against, freedom and security of the person, freedom of religion, belief and opinion, freedom of expression, freedom of association and the right to make political choices. The decision to take the knee should remain precisely that.
"AfriForum agrees that a gesture loses all merit and meaning when it is forced on people. Forcing professional athletes to forego their rights and freedoms is unacceptable," says Peters.
The lobby group is now considering its legal options.
"AfriForum supports Quinton de Kock’s decision to stand up for his rights and the right to decide which initiatives he wants to support. We further support this decision because the position taken by CSA in this case is unfair and violates several human rights,” Peters says.
"AfriForum will liaise with its legal team to consider the way forward."
ALSO READ:
