CSA board throws Moroe under the bus

Cricket South Africa (CSA) president Chris Nenzani has confirmed that the entire board will remain and that former CEO Thabang Moroe was held accountable for the governance crisis.

Nenzani held a press conference on Saturday in Johannesburg, where he unpacked all the major issues that have manifested at CSA under former CEO Moroe’s watch.

The president stated that the CSA board had been in robust discussions on Friday evening with the Members Council, with the meeting commencing at 19:00 and ending in the early hours of Saturday morning at 01:15.

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Various issues were addressed including the appointment of acting CEO Jacques Faul and soon-to-be director of cricket Graeme Smith.

However, one of the more controversial revelations to come out of Saturday’s media briefing was the confirmation that the board will continue as is.

Already earlier this week calls for the entire board to be removed were expressed by the Central Gauteng Lions Cricket Board and the South African Cricketers’ Association (Saca).

Saca also called for a “full and independently conducted, investigation” in to the CSA’s disaster and who should be blamed for this.

However on Saturday, Nenzani revealed that the board will continue in its role and in doing so will hope to turn CSA around.

“At the end of the morning, the members council supported and endorsed the board to continue in its role and more forward in its efforts to turn the organisation around with a very clear message that the members council expect the board to exercise authority and its power in the interest of cricket,” said Nenzani.

Nenzani added that the board was not to blame for the crisis that had taken over CSA in recent weeks.

“The board is not complicit in terms of decision-making,” said Nenzani.

“The board took decisions and those decisions had to be implemented by the CEO and his management.

“The board will have to conduct business and take decisions within its purview, within its competency and therefore management will continue to implement those decisions in terms of mandating from the board.

“What has been a critical element has been the two issues that I referred to: the non-payment of the money that was due to SACA over the players as well as the revocation of the accreditation for certain journalists. Those issues have become so critical that we had to take drastic actions,” said Nenzani.

“Other than that some of these matters are just a matter of processing the decisions.”

Nenzani went on to state that suspending and removing Moroe was seen as the board holding him accountable for their ongoing crisis

“What we have done is we have given the CEO responsibilities so he can be accountable to the board,” said Nenzani.

“And the members council after a very long discussion last night felt that the board should continue in order to ensure that the challenge that is facing this organisation are dealt with.

“That is why we are sitting here talking to the nation, we are able to say that we have taken these decisions to address these matters.”

Outgoing SACA CEO Tony Irish, meanwhile, was one of many to express his disappointment at the fact that the board and Nenzani had not resigned.

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