South Africa's  sports minister has been accused of risking a diplomatic rift with the Kenyans after suggesting that the East African country sends its athletes to the Olympics to "drown in the pool".

Fikile Mbalula caused outrage previously by denouncing South Africa's national football team as "a bunch of losers" who had made the country a “laughing stock in Africa” when they lost an African Nations Championship match against Nigeria.

Talking about racial transformation in sport, he made the statement that South Africa was working hard to get more black faces in its national teams but "we wouldn’t be like Kenya and send athletes to the Olympics to drown in the pool”.

There was an immediate, furious reaction by Kenyans on Twitter and local newspaper websites. Many questioned the veracity of the minister’s claim and called on him to apologise.

If the minister’s statement were to be taken at face value, it was inaccurate. No Kenyan athlete has ever ‘drowned’ in a pool at the Olympics,” a report in Kenya’s Daily nation read, pointing out that Kenya won 11 medals to South Africa’s six at the 2012 London Olympics.

The hashtag #SomeonetellSouthAfrica was quickly spawned as residents of the East African nation sought to pay back the insult with gibes directed largely at Jacob Zuma, the country’s polygamous president.

One poster, @Mtendawema, wrote in reference to First Lady Margaret Kenyatta’s London Marathon participation: “#Someonetellsouthafrica Kenya’s First Lady can run better than their four first ladies combined.”

Another drew a comparison between Lupita Nyong'o, the celebrated Kenyan-Mexican actress who won plaudits for her role in 12 Years a Slave, and Oscar Pistorius, South Africa’s previously idolised Paralympic sprinter now on trial for the murder of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp.

“#someonetellsouthafrica When our Lupita is on the world map winning Oscars, their Oscar is on world breaking news, shooting his GF,” @mohamedmahmud wrote.

The South African comedian @DeepFriedMan responded: “If the #SomeonetellSouthAfrica trend proves anything it's that we are the USA of Africa – hated for our arrogance by our neighbours.”

Winston Rabotapi, the opposition Democratic Alliance’s Shadow Minister for Sports and Recreation, said the “diplomatic bungle” was no joke, and called on Mr Mbalula to write to the Kenyan High Commissioner to apologise.

“These comments are unacceptable and deeply offensive to the people of Kenya, and should be retracted without further delay,” he said.

“Xenophobic utterances of this nature not only compromise our diplomatic relations with other African countries; but also are highly embarrassing for South Africans, especially coming from a cabinet Minister.”



-culled from Telegraph