Clubs at odds with Lions cricket board on race issues as AGM deferred

24 August 2019 - 11:12 By KHANYISO TSHWAKU
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CSA CEO Thabang Moroe. FILE PHOTO
CSA CEO Thabang Moroe. FILE PHOTO
Image: GALLO IMAGES

Cricket South Africa (CSA) chief executive officer Thabang Moroe says the Central Gauteng Lions’ (CGL) inability to convene an annual general meeting won’t have an adverse effect on CSA's September 7 AGM.

The CGL’s AGM was due to take place on Thursday, but was adjourned, with the dissolution of the current board taking centre stage.

The clubs have also been at odds with the board in regards to the Langa report recommendations. The transitional period implemented in accordance with the report reaches an end this year.

Moroe said CGL hadn’t contacted CSA with regard to a new date for their AGM.

“What the adjournment means is that the CGL don’t have approved audited financials. They also don’t have approved auditors for the next financial year,” Moroe said.

“That’s what it means for the CGL in terms of governance and it also means they also need to write to us asking for a pardon because they need to have a late AGM before CSA’s.

“We’ll go ahead with our AGM and it’ll have nothing to do with them because it’s not going to be discussed at that level. They’ll be discussed at the meeting before the AGM where it’ll be noted.

“I’ll have to listen to the members and take direction from them in terms of what needs to be done.

“They can have special general meetings to push other business objectives and have an AGM at a later stage. It’s case of how long they’ll take to write to us and what it is that they’re going to say in writing because that’s going to guide us.”

The end of the transitional period of the Langa report meant the CGL constitution had to be amended by erasing all clauses that dealt with the transitional period and the three interest groups based on race and all references to the report.

Retired Judge Bernard Ngoepe was roped in to assess the extent to which CGL had achieved the objectives and goals of the Langa report and to assist with the contentious clauses in the MOI [memorandum of incorporation]. Moroe said racial tensions are impeding the process

“We just want to test whether the resolutions set out by the late Judge Langa were met by the GCB. We’re aware the guys are struggling to move on on their own in terms of issues of race, which is a nationwide issue,” Moroe said.

“Instead of a racial group prescribing to other races in terms of how they should move with matters of races, or how they prefer to be treated. You can’t take a blanket approach.

“It’s better to bring in an independent person who can listen to everyone. Before listening to everyone, he’ll look at the Langa document, and test if all the recommendations were adequately achieved.

“If not, they’ll be marked out and if they are achieved, it’s a case of finding a way of moving forward. There has to be the untangling of racial groups and the electing of the board.”

In a statement, outgoing CGL chief executive officer Greg Fredericks said the board was acting in a responsible manner by getting CSA on board.

“We want to ensure our constituencies that the board wants to exercise its responsibilities in a responsible way and while we recognise our autonomy, which we will protect at all times, we know that we do not operate in a silo and our relationship with our parent body, CSA, is of great importance and value to us,” Fredericks said.

Moroe said a timeframe for the Ngoepe intervention hasn’t been announced, but they don’t want to put CGL under administration.

“The length of the Ngoepe process depends on how the clubs cooperate. We’ve availed the judge a long time ago and it’s them who are holding up the process,” he said.

“The sooner they sit with the judge, sort out the resolutions, the quicker they’ll get to the crux of the new constitution.

“The last thing we want is to put CGL under administration. That’s not in our best interests.

“We just want them to get their governance clean and move away from issues of race because they’re struggling.”


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