Those persisting with efforts to move a motion of no confidence in Cricket South Africa (CSA) president Norman Arendse do not have the interests of transformation at heart, the African National Congress’s (ANC) Butana Komphela said on Friday.
The ANC’s parliamentary sport and recreation study group — which he chairs — rejected the idea of a motion of no confidence, Komphela said. The ANC had noted ”sustained efforts behind the scenes by cricket administrators in certain provinces” to move such a motion.
”These attempts are in direct violation of a collective undertaking made by provincial presidents of cricket to the parliamentary portfolio committee earlier this month to be afforded the opportunity to get their house in order,” he said.
Komphela also chairs the committee.
Suggestions made by ”certain faceless individuals” that the portfolio committee and Sport Ministry supported a motion of no confidence were untrue and without substance.
”This is a desperate cry by those who have abandoned the principle of non-racial sport to justify the inequalities of cricket and sport in general.
”Anonymous individuals and shady characters that propagated these lies and purport to be speaking on behalf of the ANC on this matter will be exposed for what they are.
”They, together with their co-conspirators, do not have the interest of the transformation in sport at heart.”
Instead they had opted to abandon the principles of non-racial sport on ”the altar of narrow personal gain”.
The committee fully supported the leadership provided by Arendse in implementing CSA’s transformation policy and his efforts to de-racialise the sport, Komphela said. — Sapa