Interim Gauteng Cricket Board (GCB) administrator Ray Mali confirmed in a radio interview on Tuesday he had been approached by clubs in the province to step down from his post.
Mali told Talk Radio 702 he and the interim GCB board would relinquish control of the provincial cricket body, but the correct processes would need to be followed.
“I was never elected by the clubs but asked by CSA 1/8Cricket South Africa 3/8 to administer Gauteng cricket,” Mali said.
“I will gladly leave with a smile but I'm here to resolve issues and I told the warring factions that I'm ready to talk.”
Daniel Phetla from Alexandra Cricket Club delivered a letter to Mali on Monday, on behalf of several cricket clubs in Gauteng, insisting the administrator and four other directors step down from their positions.
Mali said the letter had been signed by 34 of the “66-odd” clubs in the province. Their main gripe was a lack of transformation.
Former GCB director Keith Lister, speaking on behalf of the clubs, told 702 while transformation was important, the fundamental issue was restoring control to the people who played cricket.
“The power was taken away by CSA and there is no reason why that decision shouldn't be set aside,” Lister said.
“The main issue is the right of clubs to control cricket in their own province like all the other provinces do.”
The clubs wanted CSA to rescind the decision which put the GCB under administration, when suspended CSA chief executive Gerald Majola was still in charge, after the provincial body raised questions about the Indian Premier League contract in 2009.
Mali said it was a reasonable request but they needed to go about it in the right way.
“I'm the last one to cling to power,” he said.
“There are good people at Gauteng, black and white, who want to see cricket succeed.
“Keith and his team should engage with us.”
Mali said he was ready to leave on August 31, when a new constitution would be in place, but Lister argued that the clubs themselves should draft the constitution, rather than CSA.
“The reality is that the Gauteng clubs are not participating in the process,” Lister said.
“They are being represented by people being paid by CSA.” – Sapa