The ongoing row between Cricket SA’s members’ council and the minister of sport, arts & culture Nathi Mthethwa is not helping cricket in this country. We call for these internal battles and power struggles to be addressed urgently.

Self-interest and politics cannot continue to triumph over the best interests of cricket because this is jeopardising our country’s international participation in sport. In the latest incident, the members’ council voted in defiance of the interim board appointed by Mthethwa when it decided not to amend the governing body's constitution to provide for a more independent council in future.

This has set the members' council on another collision course with Mthethwa and we are concerned that this may lead to him taking over the running of CSA, which would be in breach of International Cricket Council (ICC) regulations. This outcome would be to the detriment of cricket in the country.

We agree that some recommendations that judge Chris Nicholson made after a commission of inquiry in 2013 should be implemented, but we must guard against any interference that would force the ICC to step in.

We therefore call on the minister and the members’ council to find common ground and put the interest of the sport first, above self-interest and politics.

Tsepo Mhlongo, MP and DA shadow minister of sport, arts & culture