Cricket SA (CSA) is the custodian of all cricket activities in SA, and its board of directors is entrusted with ensuring compliance with its vision, mission and values. These include making cricket a national sport of winners through pursuing excellence at all levels of the game.
Transformation, redress and equity are key strategies in striving to attain these goals. All of this must be underpinned by a democratic ethos and respect for due processes. The board is committed to a fundamental review of all aspects of the governance, administration and playing of the game. It will hold itself up to the highest standards of ethical corporate stewardship, buttressed by a robust and sustainable financial strategy.
It will not tolerate racism, gender discrimination or any other practices that undermine human dignity, and will actively promote a holistic transformation strategy that embraces the diversity with which SA has been blessed. That transformation must be reflected not just in demographics but in an inclusive culture at all levels of the organisation.
Like being put in to bat on a seaming, green-tinged wicket, the new board has to approach the task at hand in a manner that will build an innings. To do so requires stoicism, pragmatism and judgment of the highest order. Just as in Test match cricket, it challenges our abilities, weaknesses and strengths alike. We are up to that challenge.
It is important to separate two different issues, which have been conflated in these calls and demands for action to be taken
In a statement issued on August 24 in the wake of the resignation of Proteas assistant coach Enoch Nkwe, CSA stated that Nkwe “also raised concerns about the functioning and culture of the team environment.
The board will be taking the necessary steps to investigate and address the issues raised by Enoch. We will not be commenting further on this until the process has been completed.”
Despite this there have been calls for precipitative action to be taken against head coach Mark Boucher.
Last week your correspondent Tiisetso Malepa concluded that a “toxic team environment” was “established, acknowledged and accepted” by the CSA board. This is palpably not a conclusion that can be drawn from the CSA statement, which noted Nkwe’s concerns and committed to investigating them.
It is precisely because Nkwe’s concerns must be taken seriously that CSA has a responsibility to garner all the evidence and receive input from relevant parties before confirming whether such an environment exists and what may need to be done to address it systemically and sustainably. An ill-considered, knee-jerk response will not achieve this.
It is important to separate two different issues, which have been conflated in these calls and demands for action to be taken.
The first issue is the allegations that were made against Boucher by Paul Adams at the social justice & nation-building hearings. The terms of reference for these hearings were signed off by this board and we have made it clear from the outset that we will not provide a running commentary on issues raised there. We have taken this principled position to protect and ensure the independence and integrity of the process presided over by advocate Dumisa Ntsebeza SC.
CSA management will be filing a submission with Ntsebeza in the next fortnight, addressing some of the allegations levelled against us as an organisation, and we have encouraged those who have been implicated, whether in the employ of CSA or not, to similarly co-operate. The board will have the added responsibility of engaging with the final report and recommendations that will be presented to us by Ntsebeza.
We cannot be seen or presumed to have prejudged that report in any respect.
The second and separate issue is the concerns raised by Nkwe to the board about the functioning and culture of the current team environment.
For far too long conduct falling short of this mark has been tolerated, if not accepted and explained away. That cannot continue
Some have incorrectly assumed that these are linked to the Paul Adams testimony regarding Boucher at the social justice & nation-building hearings.
We appreciate the impatience, and indeed frustration, expressed by those who wish to see firm, decisive action taken against those who do not live up to the expectations that CSA has set for itself.
For far too long conduct falling short of this mark has been tolerated, if not accepted and explained away. That cannot continue. This board is serious about addressing these issues, but we will ensure that it is done in a way that respects due process and the rules of natural justice.
There can and should be no short cuts. The board has mandated one of its committees to make proposals to it on the process and time frames to be followed in investigating the issues outlined by Nkwe in his engagement with the board. In doing so we will have to inquire into the team vision, ethos and strategy, performance indicators and evaluation criteria. We will do so cognisant of the cricketing calendar.
The Proteas men’s team left for Sri Lanka 36 hours after Nkwe’s resignation. They will return home for a 10-day sojourn, which will include a team camp, before they head off to the United Arab Emirates for the T20 World Cup in early October.
We must be alive to the disruptive impact on the team of any investigation during this time. But equally we cannot delay the process indefinitely. That would be a dereliction of our responsibility to act in the best interests of the game.
A middle road will have to be found, one that enables us to carry out the investigation at the earliest opportunity and conclude it as soon as is practicable. Accompanied by the acting CEO, Pholetsi Moseki, I attended the team camp in Potchefstroom ahead of their departure for Sri Lanka to engage with them and get a feel for the mood in the camp. The disappointment at the news of Nkwe’s possible resignation was clear for all to see.
To have acted with haste and suspended Boucher (as some have urged us to do) would only have served to deepen that frustration and left the team feeling abandoned. We have a duty to ensure that the team is prepared as well as they can be for the forthcoming T20 World Cup, and provide all the support necessary to enable them to perform to their potential and bring pleasure, entertainment and success to cricket fans. We will not shirk that duty.
• Naidoo is chair of Cricket SA
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