Ken Borland

Cricket South Africa independent director Dr Eugenia Kula-Ameyaw has already caused controversy with her access to the organisation’s funds and now it has emerged that her Social Justice and Nation-Building initiative launched with much fanfare and cost on August 28 is yet to get off the ground.

Kula-Ameyaw, who was appointed – not elected – as a temporary, non-executive independent director in May, placed an advertisement in a Sunday newspaper without Board nor executive approval, costing the cash-strapped organisation R521 000.

While she seems to have escaped any censure for that impropriety, she was reported to the Board’s Social and Ethics Committee last month for tweets that were critical of sponsors Momentum.

Kula-Ameyaw has been the driving force behind SJN, an independent complaints system headed by ombudsman Advocate Dumisa Ntsebeza that was meant to ensure transformation programmes are impactful and would also be in charge of a restoration fund for those previously discriminated against. Nine ambassadors, all high-profile former players, were also appointed.

But according to one of the ambassadors, who did not want to be named, they are still in the dark as to what SJN is meant to do and what their role in the initiative will be.

“We’ve had one Zoom meeting in which we were introduced to Dr Eugenia Kula-Ameyaw and the advocate but it has not been pinpointed exactly what we are meant to do. The meeting lasted about 30 minutes and we were confused because we all want to know what our roles are. This was in the first week of September and they said they would get back to us.

“But we are still in limbo. We think they will ask us how we work out who has been discriminated against, but I guess it’s still early days,” the ambassador told The Citizen.

A request was sent to CSA on October 7 for an update on the SJN initiative’s progress. But despite being promised a response by noon the following day, and then by the end of last week, CSA have still not provided any update.

CSA did respond to a question on Kula-Ameyaw’s social media indiscretion and whether the Board’s Social and Ethics committee were going to take action by saying, “The matter is receiving the necessary attention from our Social and Ethics Committee. Once all internal processes have been followed and completed, the appropriate steps will be taken.”

Despite being one of the newest directors on the board, Kula-Ameyaw was tipped to become the lead independent director when elections are held at the AGM on December 5, but her recent slip-ups may well cause the Members Council to pause for thought about electing her.