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Gauteng cricket board rocked by six resignations in four months

Tiisetso Malepa Sports reporter
Central Gauteng Lions CEO Jono Leaf-Wright said they have responded to Cricket South Africa's request.
Central Gauteng Lions CEO Jono Leaf-Wright said they have responded to Cricket South Africa's request.
Image: Sydney Mahlangu/ BackpagePix

Six directors have resigned from the Central Gauteng Lions (CGL) cricket board in the last four months without any announcements being made.

The directors came into office in May last year and four of the six resignations came last month.

Zwelithini Severiano Vilakazi and Garth Le Pere quit in November last year‚ while Ebrahim Lambat‚ Lunga Kupiso‚ Ruqshana Hassan and Koketso Nthimbane all tendered their resignations last month.

Vilakazi‚ Le Pere and Hassan were appointed officials and served as independent directors while Lambat and Kupis are elected officials who were serving as non-independent members. Nthimbane was an alternate director.

Board resignations of this magnitude will leave any organisation in distress but CGL CEO Jono Leaf-Wright insisted that there was nothing untoward.

“There is nothing wrong. What I don’t want the story to say is because of the resignations‚ then there is chaos‚” said Leaf-Wright.

“We’ve got a very strong board and great leaders. We are in a good‚ strong place from an administration and governance point of view.”

Leaf-Wright did not say why none of the resignation were not announced to the public.

He said one director‚ without mentioning his or her name‚ resigned because of a “big promotion” at his day job and could not give CGL the attention it needed.

“He stepped away‚ but he is still a very good friend of ours and we connect with him often‚” said Leaf-Wright.

“The other director went to the UK to work in London and unfortunately could not commit the time that is required as a director on the board and stepped away‚ but again has offered her support to the board and whatever we need from her. So she remains a good friend.”

The only director who resigned that Leaf-Wright was at liberty to refer to by name was [Lunga] Kupiso.

“The other one was Lunga Kupiso. Basically‚ he just got too much on his plate. However‚ he has remained on our subcommittee and on our steering committees and has remained a friend of mine and a friend of CGL.

“He just stepped off the board because it is too time-consuming‚ but he has remained as I say on our subcommittees because it requires a bit less of his time.

“There were other two directors who have resigned [but] I’m not sure of their exact reasons.”

The resignations of the six directors have left CGL with 11 board members‚ led by president Anne Vilas and her deputy Earl Glennistor.

The resignations leave the CGL board with three non-independent directors‚ three independent directors‚ three alternate directors and Leaf-Wright as the CEO.

“CGL is in a good place‚” Leaf-Wright said.

“It may seem from the outside that there is a story when hearing that people are resigning and walking away.

“But the reality is that 90% of them is just... I think people underestimated the amount of time and energy they needed to put in to be a director of a cricket union.

“There are a lot of meetings‚ there is a lot of time needed and the energy that is spent on trying to make a difference.

“Unfortunately‚ some members just don’t have the capacity to add the time and value.

“But they all remain friends of the CGL and remain my friends and have committed to helping us grow and get better.”