Watch: Makhaya Ntini Reveals Disturbing Details Of Racial Discrimination He Faced From His Ex-South Africa Teammates

As the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement gains steam in South Africa, former Proteas fast bowler Makhaya Ntini has revealed the discrimination he faced during his international career. A number of former South Africa cricketers are raising their voice against racism in the wake of the BLM movement.

The movement started gaining momentum after South Africa pacer Lungi Ngidi said racism issue is “something that we need to take very seriously and like the rest of the world is doing, make the stand.” Ever since Ngidi expressed his support, tensions have boiled over.

Ngidi’s views led to criticism on social media by former South African cricketers Rudi Steyn, Pat Symcox and Boeta Dippenaar, who argued that “all lives matter”. Amidst all these, Makhaya Ntini has revealed how tough things were for him due to the colour of his skin.

The legendary pacer, who made his Test debut in 1998, was the first black African cricketer to play for South Africa. On Friday, he appeared on the SABC’s Morning Live and detailed how he had avoided travelling on the Proteas team bus to overcome the loneliness he felt in the dressing room. He revealed how his teammates excluded him from plans to socialise.

“I was forever lonely. The first thing that comes to mind when I think of loneliness, is to not have someone knocking on your door and say, let’s go for dinner. That’s loneliness,” the former Proteas fast bowler told the SABC.

“You’d watch friends calling each other and then having plans right in front of you and then you’d be skipped.

“When you walk into a breakfast room – and you’re the first one there – you’d see the next person that walks in, he will never come to sit next to you. It’s that loneliness … we’re playing in the same team, practice at the same time, bowl to them, wear the same clothes and sing the same national anthem,” added Makhaya Ntini.

He further described how he would run between stadiums and hotels – where the Proteas were based – to avoid using the team bus as team-mates would avoid sitting close to him.

“It’s those things that I had to find a way to overcome them. I found a way and that became one of the weapons of my life whereby I would go to the driver of the bus early morning and I would give him my bag and then I’ll say to him, I’ll meet you at the ground. I then put on my running shoes and ran to the cricket ground, and then the same thing on my way back,” said Makhaya Ntini.

“People never understood why I was doing that and I would never say it to them, this is why I’m doing this… to avoid A,B,C…

“I’m running away from that loneliness (from driving to and fro the hotel). You could see if I’m sitting at the back and the rest of them in the front…,” he added.

The former player represented South Africa in 101 Tests, 173 ODIs and 10 T20s and brought down curtains on his illustrious career in 2011.

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