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Cricket SA given a slight let-off by sports minister Nathi Mthethwa

Minister of sports, arts and culture Nathi Mthethwa has criticised the organisers of the Comrades Marathon for claiming that this year's event would go ahead as planned.
Minister of sports, arts and culture Nathi Mthethwa has criticised the organisers of the Comrades Marathon for claiming that this year's event would go ahead as planned.
Image: Gallo Images/Jeffrey Abrahams

Cricket South Africa (CSA) have been given a slight let-off by sports minister Nathi Mthethwa‚ even though they still have work to do on their Eminent Persons Group report.

Unlike swimming and hockey‚ who failed to meet their self-set barometer targets according to a Sports‚ Arts and Recreation ministry press release‚ cricket received a conditional green light despite their poor showing from an African representation perspective.

What saved CSA is the 70 percent achievement of their self-set targets‚ which isn’t the case for swimming and hockey.

The failure in the African representation perspective remains a black mark against CSA‚ especially in light of the Black Lives Matter movement‚ the subsequent reactions from former players and the formation of the Cricket for Social Justice and Nation building project to address past and present transformation concerns.

If a federation is unable to meet 50 percent of its self-set targets‚ the following sanctions are applicable:

  • The suspension or withdrawal of Government funding
  • The authority to bid or stage international tournaments locally may be revoked
  • The withdrawal of the right to award national colours
  • The withdrawal of the recognition of a national federation in terms of the National Sport and Recreation Act‚ 1998 (Act No 110 of 1998 as amended)

The federations have until the end of the week to provide motivations to Mthethwa‚ with the minister saying federations have to take transformation seriously.

“Federations should take the issue of transformation seriously as it is non-negotiable. As minister‚ I would be failing the people of South Africa and violating our constitution if I fail to act decisively against sport transformation delinquents‚” Mthethwa said.