Cricket South Africa has condemned a controversial tweet which appeared on the Twitter account of veteran sports journalist Dan Retief.
The tweet, which Retief sent out after AB de Villiers and David Wiese had guided South Africa to a five-wicket victory over England, read:
@jwcoetzee SA carried to victory by two white Afrikaners… politicians and media commentators take note… for what its worth
— Dan Retief (@retiefdan) February 14, 2016
The tweet, which brought an avalanche of criticism on Twitter, was condemned by CSA CEO Haroon Lorgat in a statement on Monday.
‘This is insensitive and extremely disappointing,’ Lorgat said. ‘AB de Villiers has conveyed to me the displeasure that this tweet has caused to the Proteas team.
‘Anybody who understands the game of cricket and the Proteas in particular will know that yesterday’s victory, and indeed the series victory, was made possible by a great team effort. We are privileged and very proud to have a diverse squad of players that play as one.
‘Sport is our best unifying factor and on Sunday it was wonderful to see more than 19 000 diverse fans at Newlands and many more millions on TV enjoying some of the world’s best players regardless of their origin or race.’
Retief has since made an apology which CSA has noted. On Tuesday, they officially accepted the apology.
‘We have accepted that apology and the matter will be considered as being concluded. We have a national team for all South Africans,’ said CSA president Chris Nenzani.
Retief was heavily criticised on Twitter before also apologising via his official account.
Hi All, I unreservedly apologize if i have upset you. It was a ham-handed way to enter the SA dissertation. We are all one people. Sorry
— Dan Retief (@retiefdan) February 14, 2016
He has now deleted his Twitter account.
