Cricket South Africa’s members’ council has rejected the interim board’s proposal of having a majority of independent directors on a new permanent board.
The members’ council and interim board met on Tuesday and Wednesday evening to discuss the proposed amendments, as per the recommendations drafted by the Nicholson report.
According to Times Live, the interim board is fighting for seven independent and four non-independent directors to make up the new board.
The interim board is also advocating for a board chairperson to come from a completely independent background, without any cricketing ties.
In a statement, released on Thursday morning, CSA stated the interim board’s complete dedication to implement the mandate from Minister of Sport Nathi Mthethwa to restructure the organisation.
The statement confirmed the disagreement between the interim board and members’ council on the proposed changes of having a majority independent directors.
‘The IB has been clear in accepting its mandate and has always been committed to implementing the mandate given to it by the Minister and endorsed by the Members’ Council on behalf of the people of South Africa.
‘At the joint meeting, the IB and the Members’ Council discussed, inter alia, the composition of a future Board. A non-negotiable principle for the IB is that any future Board is constituted of a majority of independent members. This is a universally accepted principle of good corporate governance and best practice not only in South Africa but around the world. It is also a core recommendation of the Nicholson Report of 2013.
‘Arguably, cricket finds itself in the current quagmire of dysfunction because of a lack of independence of the Board. The past failures of good governance and accountability at CSA has led to a regression of our international standing as a cricket-playing nation and our ability to influence the running of the game globally.
‘The IB, therefore, stresses that cricket cannot afford to retain its governance status quo. The Members’ Council agreed to reconsider their position and revert to the IB at a final meeting to be held on Saturday, 20 March 2021,’ read the statement.
