ANC heroes asked to step in for NZ Maori team

Wigram MP Jim Anderton is contacting South Afrcia’s honorary consul in New Zealand, and asking Nelson Mandela to intervene over the refusal of South African rugby to allow a match in Soweto between the Springboks and a New Zealand Maori team.

“A NZ Maori side playing in Soweto in front of a hundred thousand African fans would a wonderful opportunity to inspire black South Africans with the pride, history and talent of Maori rugby.

“It’s in living memory that an All Black team left behind our best players because they were Maori. So discrimination under apartheid stopped Maori playing in South Africa and now apartheid is gone discrimination is still stopping Maori from playing rugby in South Africa.

“Nelson Mandela has a record of pragmatic understanding of issues, and when he wore the Springbok jersey at the 1995 world cup we were all thrilled. So I hope he will intervene to make the case between the obvious injustice of racism under apartheid, and vastly different New Zealand Maori rugby side that actually pre-dates the AllᾠBlacks.

“I know the honorary consul in New Zealand has standing in the ANC and I am contacting him to ask for help.”

ENDS

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