Cricketers slam administrators

SOUTH Africa’s cricketers have apologised to the sport’s sponsors for the actions of Cricket SA’s administrators, saying officials have “undermined and betrayed your commitment to the sport”.

In a statement released through the SA Cricketers’ Association – the players’ union – and signed by Saca president Khaya Zondo, and the three Proteas captains, Dané van Niekerk, Dean Elgar and Temba Bavuma, the players also admonished CSA’s Members’ Council for not acting in the best interests of the sport in SA.

Players around the country are understood to be very concerned following Sunday’s pronouncement by Minister of Sport Nathi Mthethwa that he could ban CSA as the official governing entity for cricket, thus jeopardising the players’ opportunity to represent South Africa.

Yesterday’s statement outlines how government intervention would have “dire consequences” for cricket.

“Ultimately the financial viability of the game will suffer and cricket at all levels will be severely prejudiced,” the players’ statement said.

Mthethwa wrote to CSA’s Members’ Council asking it to reply to him by 5pm today, explaining why he should not invoke his powers to suspend their funding from government and ban them as cricket’s governing authority in South Africa.

The Members’ Council, CSA’s most powerful decision-making body comprising the 14 provincial union presidents, met yesterday to consider Mthethwa’s demand.

Yesterday’s meeting followed a more than three-hour meeting on Sunday in which the Council also considered Mthethwa’s decision to invoke his powers under the National Sports and Recreation Act.

No decision was taken on Sunday, with the presidents opting to go back to their affiliates.

Members’ Council chairman Rihan Richards described the matter as “very, very sensitive”.

“There are a lot of factors that need to be considered, and those could be different for different members,” Richards said.

In the same letter to the Members’ Council, Mthethwa also said he was extending the mandate of the Interim Board until May 17.

That is the second extension granted to the Interim Board, which was originally set to complete its mandate by February, but was then given until mid-April to do so.

Following Saturday’s Special General Meeting of CSA where a vote to implement a new Memorandum of Incorporation failed, Mthethwa announced on Sunday that he was invoking his powers under the Act.

That vote, held in secret after a request by Eastern Province Cricket president Donovan May, who got backing from Daniel Govender (KwaZulu-Natal), John Mogodi (Limpopo), Gibson Molale (Northern Cape) and Simphiwe Ndzundzu (Border), failed to get the 75% majority needed to pass the motion to allow the MOI to be implemented.

One section of the Members’ Council – in favour of the changes to the MOI, which would lead to a majority of independents on the new board – have been left flabbergasted by the stance of their colleagues.

One provincial president, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: “There is no way of getting away from it, having a majority of non-independents on the board has put South African cricket in the position where it was facing all these scandals.

“The crises have resulted from that, and you can prove it. It’s maybe the time to try something new.”