South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC), a government body which looks after all high-performance sport in the country, has ordered Cricket South Africa's board and senior executives including acting CEO Kugandrie Govender to step aside.
The development means governor, company secretary Welsh Gwaza and acting chief commercial officer Thamie Mthembu will now won't be involved in daily operations of the CSA.
This means, there is currently no one in charge of the day-to-day running of cricket in South Africa--something which has also thrown into doubt the future of the national team in the international cricket.
Following the move, Cricket South Africa (CSA) took to its official Twitter handle and issued a official statement, saying that it "does not agree" with the decision and will take legal advice on the basis on which SASCOC has sought to intervene in the business affairs of the country's cricket board.
“Cricket South Africa (CSA) has received the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee’s (SASCOC) communication pertaining to various resolutions which SASCOC has passed in relation to CSA.CSA, including its Members’ Council, does not agree with the resolution taken by SASCOC and has not had the opportunity to engage with SASCOC on various issues raised in the communication," the statement said.
"In addition, CSA is taking legal advice regarding the basis on which SASCOC has sought to intervene in the business affairs of CSA. CSA does, however, commit to engaging further with SASCOC to understand its position and to find common ground with it in the best interests of cricket.The Members’ Council and the Directors of the Board of CSA will hold a joint workshop this weekend to discuss critical matters," the CSA added.
The SASCOC's decision came nine months after CSA CEO Thabang Moroe was suspended from duty with full pay, with immediate effect following allegations of misconduct against him. Last month, he was fired on the basis of a forensic report which revealed "acts of serious misconduct."
However, the development will not affect South African cricketers' participation in the Indian Premier League (IPL), which is slated to take place from September 19 to November 10 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
