Suspensions of senior executives costs Sascoc

Though he claims operations have not yet been affected by the suspension of three senior staff members, SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc) president Gideon Sam admits delays in disciplinary processes are sapping the national body’s limited financial resources.

“The organisation is carrying on, but it may cause problems when we start considering how much it’s costing,” Sam said yesterday.

“It could be costly, so the board will have to have a look at it and talk to the lawyers because they need to finalise this matter.”

The Olympic body revealed in July that its CEO, Tubby Reddy had been suspended for 30 days with full pay.

His hearing was expected to be completed by August 18, but it had been postponed to the first week of October.

Following the suspensions of Sascoc chief financial officer Vinesh Maharaj and Jean Kelly, a senior manager in Reddy’s office, the independent process had been delayed again in order for all three inquiries to be held within the same period.

Sascoc vice-president Barry Hendricks was in consultation with legal representatives, and he was expected to update the organisation’s board on the matter later this week.

Reddy’s legal team confirmed in August he would challenge all the allegations against him, including a sexual harassment charge.

He had declared a dispute with the Sascoc board for “unfair treatment and process”, and an external firm would be appointed to handle the investigation.