Prof Hein Willemse. Image: SuppliedSport in South Africa is far more than recreation, competition, or entertainment. This was the central message emerging from South African Sport and Nation, the latest publication of the Jaap Durand Chair.
The-book publication, edited by Prof Hein Willemse, brings together 20 contributions presented at a Jaap Durand Chair Seminar co-hosted with the UWC Faculty of Community and Health Sciences in April 2026. Bringing together scholars, sport historians, sport practitioners, and researchers, the collection examines how sport has shaped and reflected South Africa’s social, political, and cultural development.
Collectively, the contributions challenge celebratory narratives that portray sport primarily as a symbol of reconciliation and national unity. Instead, they highlight sport as a contested arena where issues of race, class, gender, identity, democracy, memory, health, and social justice continue to be negotiated.
Several articles explore the historical relationship between sport and political power. Contributors demonstrate how sport functioned both as an instrument of exclusion under colonialism and apartheid and as a site of resistance during the struggle for liberation. Particular attention is given to the role of anti-apartheid sporting organisations – such as SACOS and the National Sport Congress – the international sports boycott movement, and the complex negotiations that shaped South Africa’s democratic transition.
A recurring theme throughout the book is the recovery of neglected sporting histories. Contributors highlight the experiences of black athletes, women, grassroots sporting communities, anti-apartheid activists, and prisoners whose stories have often been excluded from official accounts.
Through oral histories, community archives, and local memory projects, researchers are restoring visibility to individuals and communities long marginalised within South African sport history.
The book also examines contemporary challenges facing sport. Individual contributors raise concerns about increasing commercialisation, the influence of media spectacle, and the dominance of corporate interests. At the same time, they argue that sport should be understood as a public good connected to citizenship, health, youth development, education, and social inclusion.
Issues of gender equality, transformation, and talent development feature prominently. Several writers emphasise that meaningful inclusion requires more than symbolic representation. Sustainable change depends on equitable access to facilities, coaching, resources, and opportunities across race, class, gender, and geographic divides.
The book further broadens discussion by considering the impact of climate change and emerging technologies on the future of sport. These perspectives highlight the need for environmentally responsible and socially inclusive sporting systems.
South African Sport and Nation leaves the reader with the impression that sport is a significant social institution. By confronting histories of exclusion while imagining more equitable futures, sport continues to provide a powerful lens through which South Africans negotiate democracy, justice, memory, and nationhood.
The complete e-book South African Sport and Nation is available here.
Hein Willemse
Jaap Durand Chair, University of the Western Cape
Professor Emeritus, University of Pretoria
