Transformation has become a convenient hiding place for politicians whenever South African teams are announced for major international events.

Instead of confronting government’s failure to build and maintain world-class sporting facilities, they point fingers at federations whose teams are predominantly white and demand change without accepting any responsibility.

So, it came as a pleasant surprise when Deputy Sports Minister Peace Mabe acknowledged exactly that after Team South Africa for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow was announced last week.

Asked whether she was satisfied with the squad, Mabe admitted that the government’s inability to maintain facilities, including swimming pools such as Boksburg North, had made it difficult for Swimming South Africa to meet its transformation targets.

She spoke about governance failures at the municipal level and even suggested that facilities could one day be handed over to federations or communities instead. Politicians are judged by what they do rather than what they say, but for once, the words were encouraging.

Those comments stayed with me on Saturday as I drove to Thopodi Primary School in Etwatwa for a netball tournament organised by the South African Association of Youth Clubs (SAAYC).

The drive itself told a familiar South African story. Nothing signals election season quite like construction vehicles suddenly appearing to tar roads that have been neglected for years.

TLBs lined parts of Eiselen Road while the adjoining streets, once dusty, littered with leaking taps and blocked sewers, were finally receiving attention. The mood in the community reflected hope. People naturally smile when long-overdue promises are finally delivered.

At Thopodi, however, reality quickly returned.

The tournament honoured the youth of 1976, reminding participants that sport and education remain powerful tools to change their futures. Yet the school, like many township schools, has almost no sporting infrastructure. The “court” was little more than a paved rectangle with faded markings and netball poles.

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Watching young players throw themselves across that unforgiving brick surface, one question kept troubling me: what happens if one of them falls and suffers a career-ending injury?

I later learned that at Sinaba Stadium, which should serve the community, the netball posts are reportedly stored at a nearby house, with clubs charged R150 to use the government-owned equipment.

Yet despite everything, the talent on court was undeniable. The players competed with the intensity and pride of athletes performing on the biggest stage. Their passion was inspiring.

It also exposed the flaw in the transformation debate.

How can government demand greater representation from federations while failing to provide the basic facilities needed to develop athletes in townships?

Schools have always been the breeding ground of South African sport. The Springboks, Proteas and increasingly the SPAR Proteas all benefit from strong school programmes. Township children deserve that same opportunity.

Transformation cannot begin with team selection. It begins with safe courts, maintained fields, functioning swimming pools and coaches who have the resources to nurture talent.

Until government accepts that responsibility, transformation will remain little more than a political slogan.

As I drove home, I thought of Muhammad Ali’s famous words: “Champions aren’t made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them – a desire, a dream, a vision.”

The youngsters at Thopodi certainly have the desire, the dream and the vision. What they lack is a government equally committed to helping them fulfil it.

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