Attitudes to apartheid in the 1980s

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

In the treasure chest that was my book collection from the 1980s that my Mum brought up over the weekend, I found a copy of Rugby World from August 1984 reviewing the recent England tour of South Africa, where they had been soundly thrashed by the Springboks.

The magazine's "opinion" page admits that its postbag had been "evenly divided" on the subject of whether sporting links with a regime that practices apartheid should be maintained, "although national opinion polls suggest that they should". The review of the tour itself hardly mentions apartheid, concentrating on how much beer the players and coaches enjoyed together after matches, but does single out the fact that Errol Tobias (a black player) was the star of the South African lineup and not just the "Uncle Tom" in the side that the New Zealand fans had taunted him with the year before (I'm not entirely sure I know what that means, but I can guess).

And Bill Beaumont, no less, breathlessly looks forward to the 1985 tour of South Africa by New Zealand as a series that will "be one to remember", "settling [the argument of] who is the better among these two giants of world rugby", again with no mention of the political rights and wrongs of the tour taking place (in the end, it didn't).

It's slightly jarring, reading this now. This was written only eleven years before Nelson Mandela was on the pitch in a Springboks jersey.

[Guy Profumo]

Attitudes to apartheid in the 1980s

I believe you are confusing "attitudes to Apartheid in the 1980s" and "attitudes to Apartheid by the RFU. In any year".

[Flynnie]

Attitudes to apartheid in the 1980s

Tobias got a lot of stick for being a 'token' player, and the Uncle Tom comment comes from the anti-tour protestors in NZ.

He was a hell of a player by most suggestions, though, and would have received many more caps much earlier had he been white (he was 31 when he made his Springbok debut). He had an excellent partnership with Danie Gerber, the outside centre who was probably the best Springbok of the 80s.

But yeah, rugby union was just not terribly bothered about the race thing.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

Attitudes to apartheid in the 1980s

But yeah, rugby union was just not terribly bothered about the race thing

I think that's being very charitable

[tee rex]

Attitudes to apartheid in the 1980s

Everybody was against apartheid, and everybody said Mandela should be freed.

Did you not read the tributes?

[Jah Womble]

Attitudes to apartheid in the 1980s

Don't know how general Rogin intends this to be, but the 'Band Aid' thread made me think about Queen's mind-numbing decision to play Sun City in 1984, the reason given by Brian May quite staggering in its unapologetic nature. From what I can recall, it was something along the lines of: "We've thought long and hard, but we aren't a political band. We'll play to whoever wishes to hear us." (Of course, they then played Live Aid a year later - taking with the one hand and then trying to be seen as 'giving' with the other.) One would hope that May cringes when he recalls this, though I suspect not.

Whatever lingering doubts I might have had about Queen were finally atomised by this. Who else played there at the time? Status Quo, IIRC. Any others?

[G-Man]

Attitudes to apartheid in the 1980s

I worked in the hotel in Cape Town where that England team stayed in 1984. Let's just say that I have never had the impulse since to support England in rugby. (Except against the All Blacks, of course)

[Flynnie]

Attitudes to apartheid in the 1980s

The Awesome Berbaslug!!! wrote: But yeah, rugby union was just not terribly bothered about the race thing

I think that's being very charitable

More like very facetious. The South Africans didn't do that good a job of concealing apartheid from their hosts. Chris Laidlaw and John Taylor sussed it out very quickly indeed. Taylor gave a very good interview about it a few years ago which lays bare some of the political prejudices of the rugby establishment at the time.

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Attitudes to apartheid in the 1980s

Lots of golfers played Sun City in the 1980s, it used to host the world's richest tournament. Johnny Miller, Seve Ballesteros, Bernhard Langer, Ian Woosnam.

[Vulgarian Visigoth]

Attitudes to apartheid in the 1980s

tee rex wrote: Everybody was against apartheid, and everybody said Mandela should be freed.

Did you not read the tributes?

I did, and what I learned from them is that Mandela was some sort of self-help guru.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

Attitudes to apartheid in the 1980s

Rogin the Armchair Fan wrote: Lots of golfers played Sun City in the 1980s, it used to host the world's richest tournament. Johnny Miller, Seve Ballesteros, Bernhard Langer, Ian Woosnam.

The politics of the average golf professional are probably to the right of those involved in the sedate sport of competitive superyacht owning.

[Diable Rouge]

Attitudes to apartheid in the 1980s

There was an interesting documentary on the 1984 Dunnes Stores anti-apartheid strike - even now, Ben Dunne defended his policy as purely economic, seeming bemused as to what the fuss was about.

[Felicity, I guess so]

Attitudes to apartheid in the 1980s

I think it was more like 1978 but our form teacher, a young idealistic liberal history teacher, decided we should have occasional short debates about issues of the day.

I proposed that apartheid was evil and should be boycotted. a girl called Desiree (long before that was a fashionable name) opposed and gave endless anecdotes about her uncle in SA, his difficulties with servants/muggers/bleck peepil and her killer argument was that 'free democratic elections' which were my post-apartheid proposal, would be a nightmare due to S. Africans' 'tribal rivalries'.

It was a very close vote (I narrowly won) but I remember the teacher looking openmouthed at some of the shit Desiree came out with.

NB this was in a forces' school in RAF Germany, by the way. And I apologise for my teenage reformism, and failing to call for armed revolt.

[MsD]

Attitudes to apartheid in the 1980s

I remember working with a few white South Africans in the 80s (a lot of them were temps) and hearing them say "of course, people don't understand, because they don't live there and don't have to deal with these people", and a lot of British white people sympathising and saying it must be difficult. There definitely wasn't a consensus in the wider soc. that apartheid was evil, only amongst the Left.

I was a supporter of the ANC, which apparently made me a "member", can I put that on my CV? Had a lovely little enamel badge, which I've since lost, unfortunately.

I was just looking at the Marxism Today issue celebrating Mandela's release, there are lots of "Welcome Home" messages from most of the Trade Unions.

[gjw100]

Attitudes to apartheid in the 1980s

I was only thinking the other day how remarkable it was that, as far as I am aware, the US got a pretty easy time of it from the rest of the world (particularly during the 60's and beyond, when attitudes were becoming far more enlightened) for allowing a segregation policy to exist throughout large parts of the country that was apartheid in all but name. And then, as is happening here, you take stock and realise/remember that even South Africa wasn't subject to the kind of widespread opprobrium we perhaps imagine it to have received, and it becomes a little less remarkable.

[gloveguy]

Attitudes to apartheid in the 1980s

MsD wrote: I remember working with a few white South Africans in the 80s (a lot of them were temps) and hearing them say "of course, people don't understand, because they don't live there and don't have to deal with these people", and a lot of British white people sympathising and saying it must be difficult. There definitely wasn't a consensus in the wider soc. that apartheid was evil, only amongst the Left.

Have to agree with this. My father lived in South Africa from the mid-70s until his death last year, and gradually fell into the standard line. Every time I challenged him about black doctors, lawyers etc in the US, he would counter with, 'But you're just talking about skin color. They're not Africans.'

[G-Man]

Attitudes to apartheid in the 1980s

Felicity, I guess so wrote: a girl called Desiree (long before that was a fashionable name) opposed and gave endless anecdotes about her uncle in SA, his difficulties with servants/muggers/bleck peepil and her killer argument was that 'free democratic elections' which were my post-apartheid proposal, would be a nightmare due to S. Africans' 'tribal rivalries'.

Ah yes, Uncle van der Kafferbasher, who was so liberally quoted by Bill in his letters to Denis.

[Sean of the Shed]

Attitudes to apartheid in the 1980s

Jah Womble wrote: Don't know how general Rogin intends this to be, but the 'Band Aid' thread made me think about Queen's mind-numbing decision to play Sun City in 1984, the reason given by Brian May quite staggering in its unapologetic nature. From what I can recall, it was something along the lines of: "We've thought long and hard, but we aren't a political band. We'll play to whoever wishes to hear us." (Of course, they then played Live Aid a year later - taking with the one hand and then trying to be seen as 'giving' with the other.) One would hope that May cringes when he recalls this, though I suspect not.

I think you'll find that issues of black and white are still hugely important to Brian.

[Geoffrey de Ste. Croix]

Attitudes to apartheid in the 1980s

I don't think it is hyperbole to describe the Springboks 1981 tour of New Zealand as a watershed in the country’s history. Indeed the 2001 documentary on the tour was called 1981: A Country At War. It completely polarized the country.

Mandela wrote that he felt “as if the sun had come out” on hearing of the Hamilton test’s abandonment due to pitch invasion and violence.

The legacy and repercussions were significant. Along with the underarm bowling diplomatic crisis with Australia in February of that year, apartheid caused probably the greatest ferment that normally staid country has experienced. Interesting article on the tour and legacy here.

[Land Waster]

Attitudes to apartheid in the 1980s

Many of the cricketers who went to SA in the 80s were honest enough to admit that they did it for the money.

What motivated the supposedly amateur Rugby Unionists?

[torres]

Attitudes to apartheid in the 1980s

That gobshite Rod Stewart played there as well as Elton John.

[G-Man]

Attitudes to apartheid in the 1980s

Elton John played Sun City and Tel Aviv. Craven cunt.

[Guy Profumo]

Attitudes to apartheid in the 1980s

G-Man wrote: Elton John played Sun City and Tel Aviv. Craven cunt.

Yeah. But he can't hold a candle to Sting...

[Flynnie]

Attitudes to apartheid in the 1980s

Land Waster wrote: Many of the cricketers who went to SA in the 80s were honest enough to admit that they did it for the money.

What motivated the supposedly amateur Rugby Unionists?

Which ones? SA wasn't isolated fully from international rugby until the 80s. The 1986 NZ Cavaliers, however, were absolutely paid, to the rate of something like $150K a man.

[G-Man]

Attitudes to apartheid in the 1980s

In cricket they were, from the Basil d'Oliveira clusterfuck in 1970 until the 1992 World Cup. Other than the few rebel tours, the isolation was watertight.

Unlike rugby, which was the domain of racism, cricket in South Africa was keen to integrate, at least to some extent, already in the 1960s. The cricket authorities, most United Party men, were fuming at BJ Voster's actions.

I think it's fair to say that South Africa would have competed on eye-level with the mighty West Indies sides of the '70s and '80s. There were some incredible players, and there would have been hardly any weak links in those sides.