Cricket South Africa executive posed with masked fans who heckled Warner
A Cricket South Africa executive who posed with fans wearing Sonny Bill Williams masks during Australia’s disastrous tour has returned to work for the governing body.
Senior official Clive Eksteen has kept his job as CSA’s head of commercial and marketing after being stood down when he was photographed with spectators taunting former Australia vicecaptain David Warner and his wife Candice in March.
The incident was one of the flashpoints in a spiteful series between the two countries now remembered for the ball-tampering scandal at Newlands which resulted in heavy penalties for Warner, Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft.
Eksteen has been back at work for two weeks after his legal team reached an agreement with CSA for his sanction not to be made public.
Eksteen and colleague Altaaf Kazi were pictured alongside fans wearing Williams masks during the second test in Port Elizabeth.
The masks were brought into the ground by spectators in a bid to ridicule Warner, whose wife was involved in a highly publicised encounter with the footballer in 2007 before she met the cricketer.
Kazi has since resigned from his role as CSA’s head of communications and taken a role with Tourism South Africa.
In a response to inquiries from Fairfax Media, CSA’s acting chief executive Thabang Moroe defended the decision to retain Eksteen.
‘‘Clive was allowed to keep his job because, after the disciplinary hearing was conducted, the decision taken between the two parties was in line with the Labour Relations Act of South Africa,’’ Moroe said. ‘‘Clive was allowed to come back to his job after the investigation and disciplinary [hearing] was conducted. Clive is a very valuable member of Cricket South Africa as far as senior management is concerned.’’
Kazi said he could not comment when contacted by Fairfax Media and referred questions to CSA however Moroe said as Kazi is no longer an employee of the organisation it had no right to comment on his behalf.
The Australian camp had asked security not to allow the masks into the venue, which they agreed to, only for CSA officials to allow fans to carry them in. The masks episode came days after Warner responded angrily to a sledge about his wife from South African wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock during the first test in Durban.
Warner had to be held back by several teammates as both sides walked up a stairwell to the dressing rooms during a tea break.
Cricket Australia did not comment on CSA’s disciplinary procedure yesterday but was furious at the time with its South African counterparts.
CSA president Chris Nenzani issued an apology at the time to ‘‘the board of Cricket Australia, its officials, team management, players and their families’’.
Warner, who was pinned as the architect of the ball-tampering plot, and teammates fell out in the days after the storm but it is believed there is now no animosity towards him.
Newly appointed captain Tim Paine recently came out in support of Warner, describing him as ‘‘very loyal and really caring and a good team man to have around’’.
‘‘David is someone who’s certainly highly competitive on the field and, sometimes, that can rub people and oppositions up the wrong way,’’ Paine said.