Majola to respond to judge's condemnation

Gerald Majola's future in South African cricket could be clear today.

The CEO of Cricket South Africa is to issue a statement today in which he is expected to respond to harsh criticism of his management style made by the Nicholson commission last week.

He has also asked for a meeting with the Minister of Sport, Fikile Mbalula.

Judge Chris Nicholson's inquiry, which was appointed by the minister, recommended disciplinary action and possible criminal investigation of Majola's use of Cricket SA money to award himself bonuses.

"I can't speak now if you're going to ask me about the Nicholson inquiry, but I will be releasing a statement tomorrow," Majola said yesterday. "So just wait for the media release to come out."

The Nicholson commission recommended he be suspended and made to repay a R1.75-million bonus payment, but Majola has insisted he is innocent.

The inquiry had taken its toll on him, he said yesterday.

"I don't know what's going on. This is a very difficult time in my life. These things do happen. I've been involved in cricket administration for 12 years and I have never in my life faced a disciplinary committee," he said.

Majola was cleared of any wrongdoing by an internal investigation headed by Cricket SA board member AK Khan.

Judge Nicholson described the Khan report as a clumsy cover-up, but Khan disputed this.

"I think it is a bit unfair and untrue to say that there was a cover-up," said Khan, adding that Cricket SA had always acted in the best interests of the game and had never taken sides in the bonus saga.

"The board has always backed cricket and not any individual," said Khan.

The Cricket SA board will meet on Saturday to discuss Nicholson's recommendations.

Mbalula did not address the Cricket SA issue directly when he appeared before parliament's portfolio committee on sport yesterday. He said he had spent too much of his time mediating "greediness" in sport.

"Administrators are not seized with transformation," Mbalula told the committee. "They are seized with how far they can get with this budget. Part of the battles we are fighting in sport are not transformation . these are healthy battles . they are battles about the management of resources.

"Really, the fight is about money. As the minister I spend time mediating greediness in sport. I want to spend time mediating transformation and development in sport."

Mbalula said many of those paying "lip service" to transformation had long abandoned it. Transformation was about access, equity and participation in the different sporting codes.

He said no person should say they could not play a sport such as rugby "because there are rules".

"There are players who drop [out of] the system. You don't know what happened to them. You can't have a country that produces one African player for cricket every year, every season every decade."