Gayton McKenzie, the Minister of Sport, Arts, and Culture, has joined a global coalition to address online abuse in sports by formally signing the United Against Online Abuse (UAOA) Charter.
The signing took place alongside Rodrigo Ferreira Rocha, the FIA vice-president for sport (Africa); Vic Maharaj, the CEO and acting chairman of Motorsport South Africa; Denise Abrahams, the MSA board member; and Miguel Tiago, the FIA regional coordinator for Africa.
“South Africa’s participation underscores the government’s commitment to protecting athletes, officials, journalists, and fans from online abuse, while empowering young people to build resilience in the online environment,” McKenzie said on Monday after signing the charter.
Collaboration with global partners
“The Department of Sport, Arts, and Culture looks forward to collaborating with the FIA and international partners to advance this vital work across all sporting disciplines.
“By joining the UAOA coalition, South Africa is strengthening a growing international movement that unites sport, government, technology, and academia to address online abuse through research, policy development, and education.”
Recently, Kaizer Chiefs coach Cedric Kaze spoke publicly about the dangers of social media, stating that the criticism players get from supporters “kills” their confidence.
“Sometimes, when a player misses a goal, social media users harshly criticise him the next day. That takes a lot of time to build back [the player’s] confidence,” Kaze told the media.
Kaze made this statement following the scrutiny faced by striker Ashley du Preez due to his mistake in the CAF Confederations Cup second preliminary round first leg against AS Simba in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
“But we need to be mentally strong because this is a big club. We must understand the importance of everything we do so we can keep going, even when we can’t control things,” Kaze said.
Period of digital detox and reflection
Previously, former Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns coach Rulani Mokwena took a break from social media to focus on his mental health.
This was during Mokwena’s tough stint at Wydad Casablanca in Morocco, where he was faced with the difficult task of taking the club back to the CAF Champions League.
“In the coming weeks, I will be stepping away from social media to embark on a period of digital detox and reflection,” Mokwena wrote at the time in a statement on his Instagram.
“Disconnecting from the digital world, even briefly, can offer profound benefits to one’s mental clarity and emotional well-being, fostering a deeper connection with oneself and the world around us.”
Mokwena was, however, unable to take the club to the Champions League and was fired.
He is currently the head coach of MC Alger in Algeria and is enjoying a seven-match win streak and sitting on top of the log after eight games.
