JOHANNESBURG - Cricket South Africa is once more at war with itself as the organisation’s Members Council and the interim Board of Directors, are in a stand-off ostensibly over which entity is in charge of South African cricket.
Less than two weeks after being appointed by the Minister of Sport, Art and Culture, Nathi Mthethwa, the interim Board, chaired by retired Constitutional Court judge, Zak Yacoob was accused of “unprofessional conduct and non-cooperation” by the Members Council, the 14-person body made up the provincial presidents.
On Thursday afternoon, the Members Council, in a statement, said that in effect, it no longer recognises the interim Board, because it wasn’t properly constituted according to Cricket SA’s Memorandum of Incorporation. The Council accuses the Board of “ overstepping and disregarding agreed upon duties, responsibilities and lines of accountability.”
“Ultimately, (there is) a breakdown in the relationship between the Members Council and the propose (sic) Interim Board,” the statement reads.
“Despite CSA and the Members’ Council’s attempts to constructively engage members of the proposed Interim Board, unresolved matters including a conflict of interest relating to a proposed member of the Interim Board; opposition to outlined roles, responsibilities and reporting lines as outlined in the MOI; unprofessional conduct; non-cooperation; and misalignment between the Members Council and the Interim Board, remained contrary to the arrangements agreed to by the parties.”
In response the interim Board, which met on Thursday after receiving a letter from the Members Council, accused the provincial presidents of acting in bad faith.
“In its communication, the Members’ Council requested the Board ‘to cease engagement with or participation in the CSA operations, as well as cease to engage in any forum as representatives of CSA.’ The Board has been hard at work for the past two weeks since being mandated by the minister to restore the credibility of CSA,” read the interim Board’s statement.
“The current situation is untenable and we are thus dismayed to be in receipt of what we can only describe as an obstructionist, legalistic letter from the Members’ Council while we have tried to put structures in place and hold individuals within CSA to account.”
In internal correspondence, CSA's staff was told that the interim Board was no longer recognised as working for CSA.
The interim Board was appointed by Mthethwa on October 8, following consultation between his office, Sascoc, the Members Council and the SA Cricketers Association.
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