Sports Minister Nathi Mthethwa has lost his patience with Cricket South Africa and the ongoing crisis the federation finds itself in.
He has informed the Members Council and the Interim Board that he is invoking Section 13 of the National Sports and Recreation Act.
It means that once it is gazetted, CSA will no longer be recognised as the controlling body of cricket in the country.
It will be gazetted as soon as possible.
The move will have a profound effect on all the national teams, which will no longer be recognised as representative teams of South Africa.
Mthethwa took this drastic step because of Cricket South Africa’s failure to implement the recommendations of the Nicholson report and appoint a board with a majority of independent members and an independent chairperson.
CSA may no longer be recognised as the controlling body of cricket in SA:
The move, which Mthethwa says will come into effect “at the earliest opportunity”, could fall foul of the International Cricket Council, which disapproves of government intervention.
“I have decided to invoke my powers … by de-funding and de-recognising CSA,” Mthethwa said in a letter to CSA on Friday.
“I will as soon as possible also inform the ICC of my decision and provide them with my reasons for doing so.”
CSA’s interim board released a statement in response, calling it a “sad day” for cricket in the country.
“Only the Members Council can retrieve the situation now by resolving to support an expedited procedure (for the new MOI),” interim board chairman Stavros Nicolaou said.
A Special General Meeting was held last Saturday where it was expected that the Members Council would achieve the 75% majority vote in favour of a change to the MOI, but instead only six unions were in favour, while three abstained.
Those that voted against said they did not have enough time review the changes, something the interim board have denied.
South Africa’s next international series is not until June when they are due to tour the West Indies for test and limited overs matches. – Additional reporting by Reuters
