A history of Collegians rugby club's survival: from apartheid to democracy
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Date
2015-06
Authors
Davids, M. Noor
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Faculty of the Humanities, University of the Free State
Abstract
Since the establishment of democracy in 1994, South African sport has been influenced deeply by sociopolitical
and economic changes. Political transformation and professionalization emerged as elements
that define the sporting fraternity. Sport became a vehicle for nation-building. South Africans are
encouraged to show patriotism through support for national teams but, at the same time, many township
sports clubs are struggling to survive. This article relates the history of Collegians, a Mitchell’s
Plain-based rugby club, formerly from District Six. It asserts that since its establishment, Collegians
experienced two threats of extinction: apartheid, which they survived; and democracy, which brought
uncertainty and a sense of insecurity. The research question addressed is, “having survived apartheid,
what are the club’s future prospects in the face of sport transformation in democratic South Africa?”
Semi-structured interviews, newspaper sources and self-reflexivity provided data. Drawing on rugby
memory from District Six to re-establish the club in Mitchell’s Plain, the present malaise in the club can
be ascribed to a combination of factors such as political, economic and structural changes in the rugby
fraternity. Recommendations are made concerning the current impasse in the club.
Description
Keywords
Amateurism, Collegians, District Six, “Kanala dorp”, Nation-building, Professionalism, Rugby, Sport, Transformation
Citation
Davids, N. M. (2015). A history of Collegians rugby club's survival: from apartheid to democracy. Journal for Contemporary History, 40(1), 144-161.