Cape Town – Podcaster and social commentator Penuel Mlotshwa — widely known as “The Black Pen”—has revealed that he was subjected to racial slurs after raising concerns about the racial makeup of the Springboks under coach Rassie Erasmus.
As reported by The South African, Mlotshwa shared that he was called the “K-word” in response to his critique of the national rugby team’s squad composition. Mlotshwa took to X to announce that he was withdrawing his support—not from the players themselves, but from the “brand” of the Springboks.
As he explained, “I have a suspicious feeling that Willie le Roux isn’t injured. And that Rassie & co felt a bit of pressure seeing that there was only ONE Black player in the Bok squad, so they called up [Aphelele] Fassi (the best 15 in SA).”
Why I decided to become an official Springbok supporter…
…and why I quit after 2 weeks 💔 pic.twitter.com/Ns48MJ2rJ2
— Penuel The Black Pen (@GodPenuel) August 30, 2025
He elaborated, “I ask these questions because this is a team we love and support… When you speak out, you look at the comments of white racists calling me the K-word, telling me that black people shouldn’t be in rugby, and we shouldn’t worry about transformation.”
While applauding Erasmus—calling him “the most fair and pro-transformation coach we’ve had in a while”—Mlotshwa expressed frustration with what he perceives as systemic reluctance to include top non-white players.
“I’ll keep supporting the players… as individuals, but not as a brand. Because it seems the brand [of Springboks] is still tainted. We cannot have the hard conversations; we cannot speak about quotas.”
He went on to list standout black players he felt had been overlooked, including Sanele Nohamba, Hacjivah Dayimani, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Phepsi Buthelezi, Celimpilo Gumede, Jurenzo Julius, Lukhanyo Am, and Makazole Mapimpi.
He added that moments like these remind him of the appeal of the All Blacks to black South African fans in years past, saying it “reminds me of why many of us would support the All Blacks for so long.”
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Picture: X/@GodPenuel
Compiled by Lisabeal Nqamqhele
