Strife in Sascoc puts board on backfoot

● SA sport is breaking new ground, both good and bad.

The battle between federations and the SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc) board has become more embittered in the past several days.

But equally there is a level of co-operation between sports bodies never seen before.

Organisations that used to operate in silos showed the first signs of unity last year when they banded together to force Sascoc to accept continental qualification standards for the Olympics.

Covid-19 and lockdown have led to this collaboration blossom. Several bodies worked together in Sascoc’s war room to lobby the government for relief funding. Even more worked together as they drew up their level 3 resumption plans.

But the tone of communications between some of these federations and the Sascoc board is moving in the other direction.

Acting Sascoc president Aleck Skhosana hit out at Canoeing SA for declaring a dispute after its call for a special general meeting to try to vote out the board had been rejected.

Skhosana, writing to Canoeing president Kim Pople, flayed the body’s secretary general (SG), Colin Simpkins.

“We are unclear that the letter from your SG [declaring a dispute] was fully mandated by the board of Canoeing as it would be unbecoming of a board to conduct itself in the manner demonstrated in the letter.”

Skhosana also criticised Simpkins for

You appear to be somewhat confused

Kim Pople

Canoeing SA president to Sascoc president

sharing correspondence with the 28 federations that had backed Canoeing’s SGM call.

“Your association is called upon to justify the need for the communication addressed by CSA [Canoeing SA] to Sascoc to be shared with the membership before Sascoc could be given the opportunity thereto.”

Pople defended Simpkins in her reply to Skhosana. “I would like to confirm that the correspondence that Sascoc has received from our SG has the full approval of our board and reflects their sentiment.”

Then she corrected Skhosana’s reading of the Sascoc constitution. “You appear to be somewhat confused regarding article 29. The board does not have the prerogative to refuse the declaration of a dispute.

“Please provide me, immediately, with a list of arbitrators.”

The Sascoc board’s decision to try to nullify the existing arbitration between Tennis SA director Ntambi Ravele and its own suspended acting president Barry Hendricks has drawn ire from federations tired of cashstrapped Sascoc’s mounting legal bills.

Gymnastics president Donny Jurgens, in a letter addressed to “acting president” Skhosana, demanded the board disclose its finances and get approval from federations before making costly decisions.

Sascoc’s move, however, also received support, notably from Cricket SA president Chris Nenzani.

The gloves seem to be coming off. Some believe staging the already overdue election is the only solution.