Johannesburg — Lawson Naidoo said the appointment of a chief executive was a priority item for the Board but he could not provide a date by which CSA’s new CEO would be named.
Naidoo was updating the parliamentary portfolio committee for sports, arts and recreation on Tuesday about how what CSA was doing to implement the findings of the Social Justice and Nation Building report, the Fundudzi forensic report and the nine point recommendations of the interim board which oversaw CSA’s administration between November 2020 and June 2021.
The federation first advertised for the position of CEO last August, shortly after the current Board had taken up its position. Although a shortlist of candidates was identified and interviewed, Naidoo said CSA was “unable to conclude an agreement to appoint someone.”
Another process is currently underway with CSA utilising a recruitment agency - different to the one appointed last year - and Naidoo was hopeful of an announcement in a few weeks. Cricket SA has been without a permanent CEO since Thabang Moroe was suspended in 2019. The organisation has had three acting CEOs in that time including; Dr. Jacques Faul, Kugandrie Govender and Pholetsi Moseki, who is currently in the role and appeared before the committee on Tuesday.
“Our aim is to have a CEO at the end of the month, but it is unrealistic to give a fixed deadline,” said Naidoo. “It is a moving target, but it is a priority of the Board to try to resolve this in the shortest possible time.”
Meanwhile Naidoo also said that he and the Board’s Lead Independent director, Steven Budlender had created an open channel of communication with the Proteas captains Dean Elgar and Temba Bavuma about issues related to the national team. “We have regular communication with the captains, they are kept fully in the loop on matters discussed at Board level that are relevant to the team environment,” said Naidoo.
Both Elgar and Bavuma have described how challenging it has been to lead the Proteas recently with so much scrutiny on head coach Mark Boucher. Boucher is facing a disciplinary process in which CSA is seeking his dismissal for gross misconduct. Amongst the charges Boucher is facing relate to his role in singing a racially abusive song directed at Paul Adams in the late 1990s, failure in dealing with the Black Lives Matter issues in a more prudent manner and his lack of support for former assistant coach Enoch Nkwe.
Boucher will call some of the Proteas players to testify on his behalf at the hearing which is due to take place from May 16 to 20.
IOL Sport