Uproar as Gary Player accepts award from Trump after US violence
- South African golf legend Gary Player is being called out online for accepting an award from US President Donald Trump
- Player was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom just a day after the chaos at Capitol Hill
- South Africans and even one of Player's son's expressed their disappointment in him
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Retired South African golfer Gary Player has caused outrage amongst South Africans after he accepted the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Donald Trump after the siege at Capitol Hill in the US.
The 85-year-old's son, Marc, shared a few posts on Twitter about his father accepting the award from Trump. He stated that he "wished" his father had declined the award handed out to him and Annika Sorenstam.
South Africans have expressed their disdain towards Player for accepting the award given the current political climate in the US.
Source: Getty Images
According to IOL, the award was presented in a closed-door ceremony on Thursday, 7 January, while Sport24 reported that the ceremony was held at the White House.
Take a look at Player's son's tweets about his father below:
Internationally-renowned expert in education Jonathan Jansen also shared his thoughts on Player:
Below are a few other tweets about Player:
@MarvinDraai wrote:
"Sometimes in life, not often, we are called to stand for something, something of significance that sets us apart from the rest. Gary Player was called to take such a stand yesterday, and he failed dismally, further tarnishing his legacy. Will you stand for truth and humanity?"
@cherylroberts00 said:
"This man Gary Player can try to redeem himself all he wants to, from his time of supporting apartheid. But he will always be known as an apartheid supporting sportsman. For those of us who never stop calling out right-wingers and apartheid supporters, we NEVER respect #GaryPlayer."
@CecilPadayachee tweeted:
"Dear @nedbanksport, please advise if you will continue sponsoring the Nedbank Challenge at @SunCityResortSA with @garyplayer as the host. If you intend using Gary Player then this country will not support you or the tournament. @SuperSportTV"
In other trending news, Briefly.co.za earlier reported that #VoetsekANC started trending on the ANC's 109th birthday. As always, it's "Voetsek Friday" on Twitter and SAns have turned all their attention onto the ANC.
#VoetsekANC has been at the top of the Twitter trend list since the early hours of Friday morning with many frustrated tweeps using the hashtag.
Number two on the trending list is "#ANC109" which includes a few congratulatory messages and a lot of frustration.
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Source: Briefly News
