South Africa's top athletics official is fighting for his political life after admitting that he lied over gender tests on runner Caster Semenya.
The South African government today led calls for Leonard Chuene to resign as president of Athletics South Africa, and the ruling African National Congress described ASA's handling of the affair as "disgusting". But the beleaguered official remained defiant, insisting that he will not "jump ship".
A leaked email exchange last week forced Chuene to admit that he knew women's 800m champion Semenya had undergone a gender test prior to the world championships, something he had always publicly denied. He claimed that he kept the information secret to safeguard the 18-year-old's privacy.
Gert Oosthuizen, South Africa's deputy sports minister, expressed frustration that even the government was in the dark and demanded that Chuene fall on his sword.
"Mr Chuene has not only lied to us at the ministry, but to the whole country, and this is not acceptable," Oosthuizen said. "We are convinced that the perpetual denial of the knowledge of these tests have fuelled the continuous violation of Ms Semenya's rights and dignity, by foreign and some local media."
Oosthuizen said his department had twice requested a report from Chuene on events before, during and after the championships in Berlin, but had received nothing in return.
He added: "We do not agree with Mr Chuene's insistence that he lied in Ms Semenya's interest, in fact we are of the view that his lies were to Ms Semenya's detriment. In light of this, we now request the membership of ASA to not only take disciplinary action against Mr Chuene, but to fire him from his position as the president of ASA. If they fail to do so, they will be running the risk of being led by a liar."
When Semenya returned to a hero's in Johannesburg last month, Chuene was flanked by Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, ex-wife of former president Nelson Mandela, and Julius Malema, president of the African National Congress Youth League. The trio were criticised for attempting to steal the athlete's glory while she sat looking uncomfortable and saying nothing.
Donald Lee, the shadow sports minister, said recent developments reflected badly on Madikizela-Mandela and Malema. "They've tried to put the blame on others, talking about Europeans and turning it into a race issue. They're too proud and too stubborn to regret it."
Lee, a member of the opposition Democratic Alliance, added: "All the parties have been criticising Chuene for a long time. The ANC are Johnny-come-latelys on this."
Chuene denied at the time that he had any reason to consider withdrawing Semenya from the event. Asked whether the ASA conducted tests, he said: "We did not ... there was nothing that warranted us to do that."
It has since been reported that gender tests ordered by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) show that Semenya is intersex. The teenager is said to be shattered by the leaked results and receiving counselling.
The ANC yesterday joined the condemnation of Chuene and his colleagues, describing their management of the situation as "disgusting". Gwede Mantashe, the party's secretary-general, said: "The ANC is appalled by the manner in which both the IAAF and the ASA have handled the issue. It is the NEC's [National Executive Committee's] view that she has been victimised and subjected to unnecessary public scrutiny, thus denying her dignity."
But Chuene indicated that he will not step down voluntarily. He said: "I will face this head on. I won't jump ship."
