Nenzani gone but no other funerals for long-standing Board careers just yet
Chris Nenzani has resigned as Cricket South Africa president bringing to an end a seven-year reign that has left the sport on the brink of collapse and in surely it’s most unhappiest place ever, but funerals for the careers of several other long-standing CSA administrators might not be on the immediate horizon.
Cricket South Africa gave no reasons for Nenzani’s resignation in their statement on Monday morning, which comes just three weeks before his record-breaking term, twice extended by constitutional amendments, was due to come to an end at the AGM on September 5.
An insider told The Citizen that they were told Nenzani had resigned “because of the cloud over CSA, too much is pointing back to the organisation and he wants to help clear the path for a new leader”.
Another insider pointed to the increasing influence of independent director and chairperson of the Transformation Committee, Dr Eugenia Kula-Ameyaw, who “is now running the whole show”.
Typically of an organisation in chaos, there has been some confusion over who is now acting as president. It had been presumed that vice-president Beresford Williams would step up to president in an acting capacity, but it seems the MOI states that the Members Council will have to elect the acting president. That is expected to be done in the next couple of days, but in the meantime company secretary Welsh Gwaza, a controversial figure with strong ties to suspended CEO Thabang Moroe, will be acting president.
CSA’s administrators are mostly all about power though and Nenzani’s departure has ensured a slightly earlier start to the jostling to replace him. The likes of Williams, a former Western Province Cricket Association president, and Donovan May, the controversial Eastern Province Cricket Union president, and both firm supporters of both Nenzani and Moroe in recent years, are both believed to be making bids for the presidency.
There are few people on the Board who have ornate enough CVs to be considered credible presidential material, however. Tebogo Siko, the president of the highly successful Northerns Cricket Union, is possibly going to make a run for president, but he has only been on the Board since last September.
An outsider who could really rock the boat is KwaZulu-Natal president Ben Dladla. The Dolphins have enjoyed an impressive resurgence under his watch and it is believed the Durbanite will stand for the presidency as well.
Given the low bar set by the current Board, a fresh face, untainted by the excesses of the previous years, is probably just what cricket needs in its current dire situation.