Ending the 'Race' in Sports

Name: Alfred “ ali alfy” Makhubela
Age : 21
Born: Mpumalanga, Bushbuckridge
Studies at: Tshwane University of Technology
Studying: Journalism
Likes: Music
Hates: “I hate people who look down on others” 

Text and Picture by Sarin Drew

The issue of race in sports is not new to the South Africa, least of all to upcoming journalist, Alfy Makhubela, 21, who believes race and sports can be mesh through development and fairness. Makhubela, a journalism student at Tshwane University of Technology, has a passion for sports journalism and insists that his style can readily encourage sports development among disadvantaged communities.

Makhubela was forced to acknowledge the racial lines drawn clearly on South African sports fields. He drew from his own experience with cricket. He had a passion for the game and was involved in playing in an all-black cricket team despite it being a stereotypically Indian sport.

“There is no problem with identifying that certain races are involved in certain sports,” he said, “Soccer is known as a black sport because most of the players are black. However, the inclusion of most races in sport will be able to change that perspective.” 

“Living in a diverse country, it is important for black journalists to be a part of all types of sports. Sports are all about talent, not about the colour of your skin.” 

Unlike the idealistic banter of most authorities on sports, Makhubela is against the quota system established to ensure equality in sports. “Instead, I would like to see the introduction of rugby and cricket into [black] schools,” he says. “When this opportunity is given to a range of people, equality can happen”

He wants to specialise in profiling athletes in order to encourage equality and insists that, “readers have to know something about players so that they can be encouraged by their role models who have come from unprivileged backgrounds” 

“With my solution, one day we might reach a 50/50 quota naturally.”

Link to Alfie's Blog