Johannesburg – Cricket SA has confirmed that the report compiled by the Social Justice and Nation Building (SJN) has been received and is now available on the federation’s website.
The report was compiled by advocate Dumisa Ntsebeza.
“CSA is very pleased to have received the report, which follows the Ombudsman’s important hearings into the causes, nature, and extent of racial discrimination and lack of transformation in all cricket structures since unification 30 years ago,” the federation said in a statement released on Wednesday.
The Ombudsman’s process was initially due to last four months but was later extended to over six months at the Ombudsman’s request.
CSA made available extensive legal and other resources to this Ombudsman for this process, including spending more than R7.5 million on the process, despite an initial budget of R5 million.
“While the Ombudsman’s report commends CSA’s efforts to address the injustices of the past, it highlights that much still needs to be done,” CSA said.
“It recommends improved internal and confidential grievance procedures and for mediation procedures to be put in place as a means of giving aggrieved players the platform to air their frustrations.
The Ombudsman makes it clear that CSA’s efforts to provide cricketing facilities in remote areas.
“It further creates opportunities for the disadvantaged to enjoy the game of cricket can only succeed if CSA, the government and other relevant stakeholders “start from scratch” in achieving the goal of making cricket a truly transformed sport in disadvantaged areas,” the statement further detailed.
On the released report, Ntsebeza said it also raises concerns over an “exclusionary culture” in certain incidents in the past when it came to the selection of Black players.
He has called on CSA to revisit the match fee system, while a lack of sensitivity and understanding of the racist undertones of comments made by former players was also highlighted.
The report found that race played no part in the match-fixing investigation and the Ombudsman could not find any evidence supporting the allegation that Black players were targeted during the investigation.
The Ombudsman finds that the appointments of Graeme Smith and Mark Boucher were flawed from a procedural perspective.
“CSA’s Board agrees wholeheartedly that the issues facing cricket, are a complex interaction of multiple factors stemming from the history of this country and consequent socio-economic factors that prevail today,” read the statement.
CSA Chairman, Lawson Naidoo said in his closing remarks to the SJN hearings:
“We look forward to the report and will engage with it and its recommendations in order to assist in ensuring that we do indeed move the game of cricket onto a new and different trajectory.
“We are thus committed to considering the findings and recommendations with an open mind,” addressed Naidoo.
He said the federation will look at the report objectively, social justice obligations, and their duties as guardians of the game in the Republic of South Africa.
The CSA Board thanked the Ombudsman for his insights and recommendations and announced that it will engage with the report further in the new year.
The report can be viewed here.
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