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Mark Boucher – Schoolboy Old Boy Arrogance or Racism?

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My Bottom Line: Would you rather be viewed as “essentially black or white or indian or coloured or ANC, or DA or EFF or…” or “essentially South African”

Disclaimer: What I really know deep down about this is pretty dangerous BUT as a white Eastern Cape male who had a similar schooling and formative years as Boucher maybe this will be of relevance. And, yes, I did re-read Boucher’s autobiography to see if I could read between the lines and find the racist intent in his past demeanor or makeup.

The kinds of racism that happened many years ago whilst you and I were at school may have been tolerated then but are abhorrent now.

Mark Boucher
Mark Bpucher – Through my Eyes

Reading Boucher’s autobiography – Through My Eyes – one gets a sense of a driven youngster from East London’s Selborne College (an English medium male-only semi-private high school) who had one focus only on being a great sportsman. Place that in the context of the safari suit wearing, brandy and coke swilling hairy legged supporters of the day who were focused on one thing only – being able to boast to the world that their team (despite being lily white and not reflective of the actual demographics of South Africa) was the best in the world. I may be wrong and Mark may have been part of a family that treated everyone with respect and dignity and then my ruminations will fall apart like one-ply toilet paper in a thunderstorm.

This wrong world view was prevalent at the time amongst all white South Africans – due to apartheid government propaganda or due to personal feelings one could argue about until blue in the face. The fact is that it WAS a prevalent view that led to lots of pain and heartache amongst the majority of South Africans.

Now Boucher was exposed to this thinking as well as schoolboy initiations from a school older than 150 years with long standing traditions (some will say bullying or abuse). Even in this ‘modern times’ the school has not been without accusations of racism. In 2017 the “Selborne College poster controversy” was the impetus for many past pupils from the 1990’s to come forward and talk about their experiences as the vanguard of pupils of colour entering a formerly whites only semi-private school. In 2019 a group of boys were suspended after an alleged bullying incident. In the same year another 17 year-old pupil was suspended for ‘slapping and forcing a classmate to kiss his shoes’.

Prevalent amongst all old schools (read private/semi-private white male) – and organisations like the Army for that matter – is the underlying current of fagging, bullying and abuse which are ‘tolerated’ by the powers that be as a means of breaking the pupils down in order to shape them according to a certain world view. It is only recently that corporal punishment was banned which, to my mind, would lead to teachers ‘encouraging’ pupils to ‘sort out’ certain other pupils who strayed from that narrow ‘world view’ espoused by the school.

In case you have been living under a rock the controversy around Boucher is as follows:

On 23 August 2021, Boucher issued an apology for past racist behaviour, admitting to having participated in activities that were discriminatory and racially offensive. Boucher admitted to having been part of a group that sang offensive songs and used racial nicknames for non-Caucasian teammates. In the wake of the admission and apology, there were calls for Boucher to resign or be sacked as head coach of the South African Cricket team. Despite handing over a written submission as an apology for his conduct, some say that Boucher lacks common sense, lacks sensitivity and has a “lack of understanding of South Africa’s racial history”. The allegations regarding his racist conduct have also raised eyebrows over his coaching tenure with the South African side in the future, due to the possibility of the CSA terminating his contract.

Further investigations revealed that Boucher influenced the team’s culture by dealing only with white players concerns regarding the Black Lives Matter movement and it was evident during the course of the 2021 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, with a minor few players on the South African side refusing to take a knee before the start of play. Boucher was also accused of having maintained poor player management during his coaching tenure with the assistant coach Enoch Nkwe. He was accused in the charge sheet for not delegating tasks to Nkwe as well as for not giving proper clarification to Nkwe which made it impossible for Nkwe to work with Boucher.

Labour Law 101 in my mind has always been that if the employer has to throw a number of charges at an employee then they are doing so in the hope that one of them sticks which would imply that the employer does not have enough confidence in the evidence to only present ONE charge and get rid of the employee.

But back to Boucher’s autobiography – one gets the sense that Boucher had a laser focus on winning for the team, in his case Team South Africa and that he was not without his detractors who attempted to ‘neutralise’ him. Many of his team mates talk of his honesty and forthrightness and how he would do anything for the few that he allowed into his ‘inner circle’. They also talk of how he was willing to share his knowledge freely and to anyone on the team needing it.

There is certainly not a lot of talk about the changing demographic of the Proteas as a Cricket Team through his career. What mention there is in the book is a nod towards the greatness of fellow payers like Makhaya Ntini and then a comment that he realised that the composition of the team had changed for the better AND continued winning.

Boucher was coached at Selborne by England born Coach Richard Pybus who began his professional coaching career at Selborne College in East London, South Africa. Pybus was a Professional Cricket Coach from 1991 to 1995 where he developed Boucher as a wicket keeper. He was Border U-19 Coach in this period and brought through Makhaya Ntini and Justin Kemp in a side unbeaten at the National U-19 week, captained by Boucher.

Pybus joined Border Cricket in 1995 and ran the Youth Cricket department, before going on to set up Border Cricket’s first cricket academy, The Mercedes Benz Border Cricket Academy, of which Ntini was a graduate.

We are all products of our past and on both sides of the racial coin we have done things for which we are truly sorry and ashamed. That Mark Boucher manned up to his singing of a racially charged song and apologised is a big step.

Navigating South Africa’s vibrant culture can sometimes be confusing and Boucher can be forgiven for thinking that (in line with the TRC) he would be forgiven for apologising for behaviour that he realises was unfair on his fellow man. That is how we South Africans are though – not consistent and continually moving the goal posts as we navigate our way through these trying, interesting and difficult times in forging a new and better non-racist South Africa.

Should Boucher be forgiven?

As a white male with a similar upbringing and exposure to constant apartheid propaganda I say; “Yes”. Doing so will prove to Boucher that there is someone more loving and bigger than him at play here – a larger team that is at work here, something to play for, cherish and protect fiercely and not a vengeful god hell bent on wreaking havoc and ‘righting the wrongs of the past’.

On the other hand I have enormous sympathy for those who feel aggrieved and duped by his actions and find it hard to believe that they do have an ounce of forgiveness in their hearts for actions taken. Justice must be seen to be done. Wouldn’t we rather have justice focus on ALL South Africans who have uttered racially charged words rather than individuals, though? Also his singing of the song happened after the TRC and in South Africa’s new democracy so there should be consequences.

Suffice to say, on a personal level, I am acutely aware of my complicity in the whole apartheid nightmare and genuinely make small incremental steps daily towards a more inclusive South Africa. In fact I received what I think to be one of my life’s greatest compliments from a friend of mine who said to me; “But Alan, with your understanding and empathy and contributions to my growth and culture I view you as essentially black.”

I dream of the day that we could all say that to each other BUT rather view each other as “essentially South African” and not as “essentially black, white, indian or coloured”.

I see that Boucher was born on 3 December 1976 – a momentous year in South Africa’s history and one that should be a yearly birthday reminder of man’s cruelty to man. Strangely enough that same December 1976 was the very first time that I went to work for my late Father and became, in his words and the parlance of the day; “the boy to the boy!” Yup, he took great pains to point out to all the teams at the office that I was not his son but starting at the bottom below the labourers – no privileges for me. A seminal and good moment for my development in light of the masses of propaganda being put out by the Apartheid Government about the ‘Swart Gevaar’.

We need to identify a ‘new tribe’ – one that is wholly ‘South African’ and not one that has leanings or connections to a racist past.

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Alan Straton

Chief Cook, Bottle Washer and Broom Mechanic at MyPE
Passionate about Port Elizabeth and definitely NOT packing for Perth. Alan's ethos is epitomised in the words of Nelson Mandela; "I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the idea of a democratic and free society. If need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." See more articles by Alan.