David Teeger dismissal cuts across South African politics

 David Teeger's removal as South Africa's Under-19 captain, just a week before the home age-group World Cup, has shattered the link between sport and politics at a critical juncture for the country.

Teeger was officially suspended due to concerns about his and other players' safety after expressing support for the Israeli army at an awards ceremony in October last year. The Palestinian Solidarity Alliance (PSA) and several South African cricket stakeholders, including sponsors, clubs, and concerned citizens, filed complaints against him for dedicating his Rising Star trophy to "the young soldiers in Israel" and demanded his removal from the national team.

The CSA appointed an independent advocate, Wim Trengrove, to determine whether Teeger had violated their code of conduct, and it was determined that he had not. But the story didn't stop there. Since Teeger's comments, the South African government has submitted a genocide charge against Israel with the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli demonstrations have taken place throughout the country. Almost all of these protests have been peaceful, including one at Newlands on January 3rd, the first day of South Africa's New Year's Test against India, and a mass march on January 13th, in spite of occasional police involvement.

The CSA's official reason for Teeger's removal as captain was to reduce the risk of "conflict or even violence" during the tournament. CSA CEO Pholetsi Moseki told ESPNcricinfo that the decision was made to "lower the temperature," despite the fact that a recently concluded Under-19 triangular series between South Africa, India, and Afghanistan was played at Johannesburg's Old Edwardians club ground with no obvious security concerns. Instead, Teeger's removal appears to be motivated by an ideological reason, one that is not so serious that he cannot be a member of the squad, but serious enough that he is deemed unfit to lead it.

When Trengrove was appointed on November 26, his task was to determine whether Teeger's acceptance speech violated the code of conduct of either CSA or his provincial team, Lions. His report cited Teeger's constitutional right to free expression and concluded that he had not engaged in any unbecoming or detrimental behaviour. Trengrove's findings were "received, considered, and accepted" by CSA on December 7, and Teeger was cleared to continue as Under-19 captain. Five weeks later, things changed.

On Tuesday last week, South Africa's sports minister, Zizi Kodwa, addressed the Under-19 team, handed over the national flag, and said, seemingly impromptu, "Whatever you do now, you are no longer yourself. "You are ambassadors for South Africa." It's not impossible that, given the ICJ case and Kodwa's words, CSA was forced to consider whether Teeger would be the best captain for the national Under-19 team in the current circumstances. Given the UK's stated support for LGBTQI+ rights, one could imagine a similar outcome if an England captain was suspended for making homophobic remarks.

Rather than turning away from Teeger, the spotlight has now been shone directly on him. At the age of 19, he has become, at least in some circles, the face of an issue that should far exceed the responsibilities of any national captain. Finally, CSA has failed to fulfil a duty of care by allowing this dispute to escalate in such a manner. Teeger is young and hopes to have a long career in cricket. This does not preclude further scrutiny of his statements, but he does not deserve to be portrayed as a symbol of this situation.