New CSA chief out to restore trust

CRICKET South Africa’s new board of directors will make the appointment of senior management, including a chief executive, one of its primary tasks as it sets out to restore trust in the organisation.

At a meeting on Tuesday, Lawson Naidoo, one of the newly-appointed independent directors, was chosen as chairman of the board, with senior counsel Steven Budlender named as lead director.

Naidoo said yesterday that in addition to filling management vacancies, which besides the CEO also includes a new chief commercial officer, the board would look into the organisation’s finances, which have suffered as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, but also the incompetence of the previous administration.

“We need to start working on stabilising the finance, and we must investigate new revenue models,” said Naidoo, executive secretary of the Council for the Advancement of the SA Constitution and also a founder of the Paternoster Group, an independent consultancy that provides political analysis.

Naidoo said he felt overwhelmed at the opportunity but knows that a lot of hard work awaits the board, the majority of whom are independent in keeping with the new memorandum of incorporation that was instituted at the annual general meeting last week.

“Now that we have fixed the administrative structure, we need to rebuild relationships with sponsors and start to source new ones,” he said.

CSA announced that it had made a R250-million loss, R70m more than anticipated, following the postponement of the England one-day international series last November and Australia’s Test tour, which was supposed to take place in April.

One area that will also be assessed is the remuneration for directors, with directors paid in the region of R230 000 last year.

“I can’t say yet if that will change, but it will form part of the review of our finances, in which we will go through all our expense items,” said Naidoo.

“We have to tighten our belts, and show the public and potential sponsors that we are running a tight financial ship.”

Naidoo said the board had to decide who would represent CSA at ICC level, but stated it was an important appointment, given how CSA had to re-establish itself with the global mother body.

“It is essential to strengthen that relationship with the ICC. We need to secure tours, to generate income in a post-Covid world,” Naidoo said.

Most importantly, following years of mismanagement and maladministration, the new board has to rebuild confidence in CSA.

“To regain public trust, we need to rebuild relationships with all the stake-holders – players, sponsors, media and the fans. We need to be open and honest in our engagements with them,” Naidoo said.

CRICKET SA BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Independent: Lawson Naidoo (Chairman) Steven Budlender SC (Lead Director), Andrew Hudson, Dugmore Lushaba, Andisa Ntsubane, Mark Rayner, Muditambi Ravele, Norman Arendse

Non-independent: Daniel Govender, John Mogodi, Craig Nel, Tebogo Siko, Simphiwe Ndzundzu