CSA adjourns AGM amid new crisis

Johannesburg: Cricket South Africa has postponed its Annual General Meeting (AGM), scheduled this week, by a month amid a new crisis over its alleged lack of transformation. Just as the two-year-old saga over irregular IPL 2 bonuses ended with chief executive Gerald Majola being dismissed last Friday, a new furore erupted over alleged disregard for transformation plans recommended by the Nicholson inquiry that led to the disciplinary hearing which saw Majola being kicked out.

This time, former CSA president Norman Arendse is accusing CSA of having blocked him from returning as the head of a new committee of independent directors that is part of the transformation plans initiated by CSA in the wake of the Nicholson inquiry. Arendse claims that a last-minute amendment to the CSA rules precluding anyone involved in cricket within the past three years debarred him from taking up the position even though he was the first choice of the interviewing panel.

Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula, who initiated the Nicholson inquiry, as well as the South African Sports and Olympics Committee (SASCOC) are reported to be unhappy about this. Arendse resigned two years ago after a vote of no confidence from provincial affiliates of CSA. "This (postponement) has been done to bring about the necessary harmonisation between CSA's proposed governance structure, and the respective recommendation of the Nicholson Committee of Enquiry and CSA'S SASCOC membership obligations," CSA said in a short statement on Wednesday.

Cricket South Africa has postponed its Annual General Meeting (AGM), scheduled this week, by a month.

Mbalula had set up the Nicholson inquiry after nearly two years of wrangling within CSA over the huge IPL 2 bonuses that Majola paid himself and other CSA staff without the sanction of the board. IPL 2 was played in South Africa due to security concerns around elections at the time in India.

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