Another writer, Aslam Ismail, questioned the motive behind those attacking “Indians” for supporting India. “It is, indeed, a fact that we have not laid to rest much of our past conditioning and prejudices, but we are nation in transition and are optimistic that the following generations will successfully dispense with the baggage we carry,” he wrote.

A number of other letter writers stated that South Africa should start to select more “Indian origin” players and this might see a change of attitude. “Indians in South Africa had been playing cricket for more than 100 years and nobody could claim that “we cannot produce our own Chanderpauls and Monty Panesars,” they said.

A local political analyst, Dr Kiru Naidoo, also entered the debate by writing a leader page article in the Sunday Tribune. Naidoo analysed that ‘Indian-origin’ people were only exercising their democratic right and people should not use this to promote racial animosity.