It seems that you're never too old to be astounded.
It would appear then that the absence of indigenous players in both countries can be attributed to a failure of communication. Indigenous people were probably unaware of just how welcome they would have been made if they'd turned up at their local rugby club looking for a game.
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One is never too old for a history lesson as well.
South Africa‟s Black population is not homogenous. There are several different tribes who all speak different languages and who have distinct and hugely different cultures.
There are main tribes such as the Zulu, Xhosa, Tswana, Venda, Ndebele, Sotho, Swazi and the Shangaan/Tsonga people. But it does not stop there, because these main tribes consist of smaller tribes. For instance the Xhosas are made up of Mpondo, Fingo, Thembu, Bhaca, Nhlangwini and Xesibe tribes. The Sothos are made up of North Sotho (Bapedi) and South Sotho (Basotho) tribes. The Tswanas are only a part of the main tribe known as the West Sotho.
Other tribes that make up the West Sotho are the Kwena, Kgatla, Tlhaping, Tlharo, Rolong and Ngwato. The Venda tribe is made up of mainly the Mphephu and the Lemba, but in total the Vavenda can be bordered off into 27 clearly distinguishable tribes. The Zulus are made up of about 200 smaller tribes The Swazis are made up from the Nkosi, Shongwe, Khumalo and Hhlatyawako tribes. The Northern Sothos are made up from the Pedi, Koni, Phalaborwa, Lobedu and Kutswe tribes.... And so I can go on...
All in all South Africa has nine official Black languages, with 23 sub categories and innumerable dialects.
All of them with their own believe system, culture and languages. Xhosa's see Zulu's as a boy regardless their age. Even today when you have workers you have to consider that and not try let them work together especially in construction. Namibia you have the same thing with the Wambu and the Hiero not fond of working together. When I said separated by culture
They were seperated by the following
Transkei –Xhosa
Ciskei – Xhosa
Venda – Venda
Bophuthatswana – Tswana
Gazankulu – Tsonga/Shangaan
KaNgwane – Swazi
KwaNdebele – Ndebele
KwaZulu – Zulu
Lebowa – Pedi (Northern Sotho)
QwaQwa – Sotho
Botswana - Tswana
As you can see. By culture not race and hence why SA did not see any person coming from the above areas as citizens because they came from "independent countries". Only problem was SA never worried about Border control. And the jobs was where the the gold was discovered. Now put 1 and 1 together. No border control. Jobs and fortune available in the Johannesburg region and tell me what it will look like almost 50 years without border control? Remeber segregration started with the British at the end of the 1800's not 1947
