The Gautrain – well one of them, anyway – sat stationary beside on the elevated line that runs along the east of SuperSport Park. It was part of a marketing exercise for the latest tentacle of the multi-billion rand railway that will link Pretoria and Centurion with Sandton and OR Tambo International. A large banner was strung underneath that read: “Faster than a speeding Steyn – go BOYS.”
The only things that have been moving quicker than Steyn this week have been the lips of administrators of Cricket South Africa, with accusations of lies, denials, no comments and “I’ll get back to you right after I talk to my laywers” casting a shadow over the final few, decisive matches of the MTN ODI Series. It was also the last time the South African cricket team would wear the logo of Standard Bank, their long-term sponsor, at a home game. They put millions into the sport and have been allowed to leave without a whimper by CSA.
The CSA spat last week has been unseemly, but it has also been coming for some time. It was appropriate the Gautrain was parked next to SuperSport Park yesterday as the relationship between CSA CEO Gerald Majola and his president Mtutuzeli Nyoka has been about as close as that of Cope’s Terror Lekota and Mbhazima Shilowa, the latter the former Gauteng premier after whom the Gautrain was nicknamed when it was first mooted. The Shilowa Express has survived and become a godsend for Joburg commuters. So, too, will the CSA steam engine keep chugging along despite this mess.
Fikile Mbalula, the new sports minister, was at SuperSport Park yesterday to express the “government’s concern” that the “sport of cricket was thrown into disarray by personality issues” on the eve of the World Cup. Naturally, before he sat down and had a natter with a few of the board members, he had to be in introduced to the players of both teams along with Majola. When Mbalula reached Graeme Smith, the captain of South Africa, the two exchanged pleasantries and had a short chat.
The gist of that chat will probably not have included Mbalula’s public criticism of Smith for “becoming involved in the politics of sports administration” following a press release issued by CSA in which Smith was quoted as giving Majola his full backing. At a press conference called by Mbalula in the 30 minutes between innings yesterday, I asked Mbalula whether he had spoken to Smith or had ascertained whether those were indeed his words. Mbalula said he hadn’t really criticised Smith as such (ahem), and had had it explained to him by CSA that Smith didn’t really say what he was reported to have said in the manner in which is was written by the CSA. That is, that quotes from Smith, given to an innocuous question, were pulled out of context, given a buff by the CSA media department and recycled as a message of support.
It was a massive bit of spin, and one that was used on the front page of the New Age newspaper, who led their front page with Nyoka cricket stories most of last week. Using the Smith story as a lead, though, was embarrassing. The close connection between Majola and the Guptas, the owners of the New Age and the owners of Sahara, is well known. It is hard not to see the prominence of the placing of that story as an extension of that relationship.
At his presser, in the room where Smith spoke of his team’s series win over India later in the evening, Mbalula said he would be keeping an eye on CSA and would be looking over a report into the matter of the IPL bonuses. There was much political-speak, words of support, but with no small warning thrown in. He met with “respectable people” and “the house is not coming down”, “cricket is on track” and the “roadmap” for the immediate future has been laid out. When asked when he would meet with the weird sisters of CSA again, around a bubbling cauldron that would be full of newts, bits of dogs and a large chunk of Nyoka, Mbalula said he was expecting a report on the February 12 CSA board meeting at which the vote of no confidence in Nyoka would be heard. Then he and the ministry would make their “observation”. Well, he certainly can’t do much else. As sports minister he has little to no power over CSA, no matter what he may think. His meeting with them yesterday was pretty much a pointless exercise, except to publically castigate them for doing such an unsettling thing ahead of the World Cup.
Ah, the World Cup? Remember that. Mbalula certainly did. Indeed, it was the thing uppermost on his mind when he called the meeting. He knows what good political clout there is be gained from a winning team at a World Cup (although, it didn’t seem to help President Thabo Mbeki much in 2007). Still, the prominence he gave the national team ahead of the silliness of the sports administrators is to be lauded and encouraged. With the Indians still to bat yesterday, what did he think would happen?
“I am quite confident of victory,” he smiled.
They did win, running through India like a speeding Gautrain.