More stable administration puts CSA on more secure financial footing

Cricket SA is set to announce a significant profit at its AGM next week, a signal, outgoing chairperson Lawson Naidoo says, of the success of changes brought about at administrative level, after years of chaos. 

Naidoo will step down as chair of the board of directors, after serving a three-year term and described CSA as being in a far healthier position than it was in 2021. It’s understood that the organisation will announce a profit, believed to be in the region of R800m, next week.

“We have steadied the ship and that is borne out by the financial results that we will be reporting at the AGM next week,” said Naidoo.

Naidoo was the first chair of a majority independent board, which was instituted at CSA after years of strife during which the organisation’s reputation suffered significant damage. 

A seemingly endless stream of scandals which culminated in the axing of senior officials, the loss of sponsors and led to mistrust among players, left CSA on the brink of collapse. 

After intervention from the sports ministry, CSA created a new constitution and put in place a new board of directors, the majority of whom were independent.

“We came in on the back of severe governance failures at Cricket SA and we needed to restore trust with the various stakeholders; players, sponsors and fans,” said Naidoo.

Though rebuilding trust remains an ongoing project, Naidoo said the partnership announced last week with Hollywoodbets — which would sponsor the women’s domestic professional competitions — illustrated how CSA was now being viewed in a different light. 

“If we look back on the three years, we are in a much stronger and better place than when we started out.”

Challenges remain, not least of which is getting the provincial affiliates to mimic the kind of stability seen at CSA level. Western Province is one example of a union that hasn’t held an AGM yet and as a result is in danger of not having a vote at next week’s CSA gathering. 

WP Cricket Association president Hannes Adams confirmed that the union was still finalising last year’s financial report, which meant it had yet to complete its 2023 AGM. Easterns Cricket Union continues to have infighting with CSA again having to call on retired judge Bernard Ngoepe earlier this year to resolve conflict at that union.

“We are seeing some progress at affiliate level,” said Naidoo. “We have instituted a few governance changes in terms of measuring the performance of affiliates on a governance matrix. Clearly there is a long way to go to get the affiliates up to the appropriate governance standards, and perhaps most importantly to get them less financially reliant on CSA.”

While Naidoo has to step down as chair, he can stay on for another three year term as an ordinary board member, something Naidoo hopes will occur after next week’s AGM when the board meets to vote for three independent positions. 

“I’m pleased with the progress we have made, in the last three years but I am also cognisant of the fact that there is still a lot more that must be done and I can still play a role in getting us there.”

The board will meet after the AGM to choose a new chairperson, which has to be one of the independent directors.

*Rihan Richards is standing for re-election as CSA president and will face competition from former North West CU president Tebogo Motlhabane, Easterns CU president Thato Moagi and Border’s Simphiwe Ndzundzu. 

Central Gauteng’s Mohammed Moosajee is the only candidate for vice-president.