CSA interim board has a variety of skills it can call upon
Cricket SA’s interim board appointed by Sports, Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa is varied with different professional and governance skills.
They’ll be sorely needed by an organisation whose board failed in its basic fiduciary duty.
Among the nine members are chairperson retired judge Zac Yacoob, Nkeke Mampuru, Andile Mbatha, Stavros Nicolaou and Judith February.
There are four members with varied, but needed, cricket experience in:
HAROON LORGAT
His name was the most surprising considering the acrimonious nature of his 2017 exit, but he returns to CSA duty with a newish members’ council to report to. Only Donovan May and Angelo Carolissen remain from the 2017 members’ council.
His knowledge of CSA’s administrative intricacies and board matters will come in handy while he doesn’t come across as tainted by CSA’s secretive forensic report that’s backdated to 2016.
Lorgat had his own issues as CSA’s CEO, but he’s now part of a different collective that’s got a different rebuilding job and hasn’t been part of CSA issues for the past three years, a period during which the organisation literally came apart at the seams.
OMPHILE RAMELA
The former Cape Cobras and Lions toporder batsman who’s a Stellenbosch University graduate has been vocal with regards to a clean-up at CSA. Now he’ll become part of that, but it will mean he’ll have to relinquish his position as the SA Cricketers Association president.
That shouldn’t be a problem for the eloquent Ramela, who’ll be the voice of the players who suffered while the previous suits in charge put their interests above those of the players and the game.
The players are the most important stakeholders, something the previous board seemingly forgot and how the players channel their collective voices to fight for themselves could become critical in how the board goes about their work.
PROFESSOR ANDRE ODENDAAL
From a franchise understanding perspective, there isn’t a better candidate than Odendaal.
The former Western Province Cricket Association CEO has an acute understanding of franchise level mechanisations that also need attention.
There are issues with governance at that level that could be a spillover from CSA issues and the ineffectiveness of administrative and management functions. Odendaal left WPCA in reasonable shape when he handed over to Nabeal Dien, but the subsequent administrative implosion at WPCA after Dien’s exit is indicative of the salvage job that’s required at franchise level.
Odendaal had also been asked to come back and serve as the administrator last year when CSA exercised their step-in rights at WPCA.
XOLANI VONYA
Vonya has recently resigned from his position as Easterns Cricket Union president after a difficult time at the Benoni-based franchise. He was suspended, and then cleared, but his resignation means he’s free of members’ council affiliation by name.
Whether he’s a members’ council proxy remains to be seen in this three-month period, but his board partners are far too smart and strong to allow this kind of interference to get in the way of their salvage work.
From a members’ council perspective, Vonya’s knowledge will be critical, but what his overall role will be can only become clear once roles are designated.