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The appointments of Graeme Smith as Director of Cricket and Mark Boucher as head coach was procedurally flawed.
This was one of the findings of the Social Justice and National Building Ombudsman, Advocate Dumisa Ntsebeza in his 235-page report presented to CSA on Thursday.
In a statement, CSA’s Board said it agreed “that the issues facing cricket are a complex interaction of multiple factors stemming from the history of this country and consequent socio-economic factors that prevail today.”
Chairperson, Lawson Naidoo, said in his closing remarks to the SJN hearings that CSA “will engage with it and its recommendations in order to assist in ensuring that we do indeed move the game of cricket”
“While the Ombudsman's report commends CSA’s efforts to address the injustices of the past, it highlights that much still needs to be done. It recommends improved internal and confidential grievance procedures and for mediation procedures to be put in place as a means of giving aggrieved players the platform to air their frustrations,” he said.
Naidoo said the Ombudsman made it clear that CSA’s efforts to provide cricketing facilities in remote areas and create opportunities for the disadvantaged to enjoy the game of cricket can only succeed if CSA, the government, and other relevant stakeholders “start from scratch” in achieving the goal of making cricket a truly transformed sport in disadvantaged areas.
“He also raises concerns over an "exclusionary culture" in certain incidents in the past when it came to the selection of Black players. He has called on CSA to revisit the match fee system, while a lack of sensitivity and understanding of the racist undertones of comments made by former players was also highlighted.”
Naidoo said CSA’s Board agrees that the issues facing cricket “are a complex interaction of multiple factors stemming from the history of this country and consequent socio-economic factors that prevail today.”
