CSA will hold AGM within three months
ACTING Cricket South Africa president Beresford Williams says there was “overall consensus” to postpone the embattled organisation’s annual meeting.
The much-awaited AGM was originally set for this Saturday, but after a meeting with the Department of Sport and Recreation on Monday evening it was agreed that it required rescheduling.
No new date has been set as yet, although Williams said CSA’s Executive Board were committed to holding it within the time period specified.
“We as a Board agreed to have the AGM within the next three months. It has to be done within 15 months from the previous AGM under the Companies Act, and September would have been 12 months. We are therefore committed to getting it done within the next three months,” Williams told IOL Sport.
According to a CSA press release upon the postponement of the AGM, it stated that a review of CSA’s administrative structures should occur as they relate to the recommendations contained in the Nicholson report of some eight years ago.
Williams stressed that CSA have implemented all of the Nicholson report’s recommendation bar one.
“All the recommendations of the Nicholson report were implemented, except the issues related to the bonus of the COO,” he said.
“We will also meet over the course of the next fortnight to put in a place a nominations committee to deal with the appointment of the independent directors.”
CSA are due to elect a new president to replace Chris Nenzani, who resigned earlier this month. They were also to fill at least two spots on the non-independent side of the 12-person board.
With Professor Steve Cornelius also having resigned in August, a spot had also opened up on the independent section of the board.
Furthermore, after meeting with Sports minister Nathi Mthethwa, who on Friday signalled his intention to be part of CSA’s AGM, Williams confirmed CSA’s commitment to aggressively pursue transformation within the organisation.
CSA will exclusively hire black consultants going forward.
“We remain committed to the transformation of Cricket SA and improving the culture of the organisation and according to the latest EPG report, we will be focusing on where we were lacking in regards to black and women employment,” Williams said.
Last week, CSA launched its Cricket for Social Justice and Nation Building (SJN) project in accordance with preliminary details given by its Transformation Committee.
Advocate Dumisa Ntsebeza was unveiled as the face of the Office of the Transformation Ombudsman, tasked with managing an independent complaints system that will look at the healing, restoration and uniting process, starting with the group of former players that have recently lodged their complaints about systemic racism within CSA.
Dr Eugenia Kula-Ameyaw has also been appointed the head of its transformation committee where after she detailed plans to move forward with a restoration fund that would seek to financially compensate former and current players and members of the South African cricket community who had suffered injustices.