SA may be at risk of losing the Proteas

South Africa risks being without a national cricket side should Sports, Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa invoke the powers available to him, in terms of the National Sports and Recreation Act.

Mthethwa has officially reached the end of his tether with Cricket South Africa (CSA), and specifically the organisation’s Members Council, following a special general meeting on Saturday, in which the council failed to implement the necessary changes to ensure administrative reform at the beleaguered organisation.

Yesterday, Mthethwa said he would take “the necessary steps required to exercise his rights in terms of the law”.

The powers available to Mthethwa in terms of section 13(5) of the Act give him the right to remove recognition of the federation as the authority on the sport, and to stop providing funding for it. That latter punishment may not have much impact at CSA, as the grant from the government is miniscule — in the region of R500 000.

Revoking recognition will have a much greater material effect, with CSA not being able to hand out international caps, meaning the Proteas will no longer be recognised as the representative team of the country. The men’s team is due to tour the West Indies in June.

Sponsors are also unlikely to want to provide further backing for a team that isn’t the official representative of the country. Mthethwa accused CSA’s Members Council of “acting in bad faith”, after the council had previously informed him that it had agreed to make the changes to CSA’s constitution to enable it to reform the administration. At Saturday’s special general meeting, which Mthethwa attended, the Members Council didn’t reach the 75% majority needed to implement the changes.

“This turn of events, taking place at the back of several missed opportunities by the Members Council, has left the minister with no further option but to exercise his rights in terms of s13(5) of the Sports Act,” the Ministry said early yesterday morning.

Members Council chairperson Rihan Richards said he was convening another meeting of the council for last night. Richards described the current impasse as being a “very difficult situation”. — IOL