More turmoil for CSA as board member Shirley Zinn quits

FILE - Professor Shirley Zinn.

FILE - Professor Shirley Zinn.

Published Dec 3, 2019

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JOHANNESBURG – Shirley Zinn, one of the five independent directors on Cricket SA’s Board, tendered her resignation on Tuesday, citing CSA’s failure to adhere to good corporate governance standards.

Zinn was also on the panel that conducted interviews for the Director of Cricket, a position Cricket SA is still to fill nearly five months after publicly announcing a new structure around the men’s national team.

“I believe very strongly that those principles (of good governance) need to be adhered to and guarded,” she told IOL.

The revoking of accreditation of five journalists last weekend, blocking them from entering stadiums upset Zinn, who serves as an independent director at Sanlam, further and accelerated her departure from CSA  

“The last two days really broke my back, it was a step too far,” Zinn of the decision by CSA’s senior administration to prevent the five journalists from covering matches.

“The story about Graeme Smith in the Sunday Times, was the end for me,” she added.

The Sunday Times had reported that Smith was set to be announced as the Director of Cricket, but on Monday, Smith said that was not the case. Independent Media understands that Smith, who announced he was withdrawing from the process to appoint the Director two weeks ago, has been asked by Cricket SA to reconsider.

It is believed he held a meeting with CSA president Chris Nenzani, Zinn and CSA chief executive Thabang Moroe, in Cape Town last week, where it is understood he reiterated that the various concerns he had about CSA still had to be addressed.

Meanwhile also on Tuesday, Standard Bank, the title sponsor of the Proteas said it had expressed its “displeasure at the unsatisfactory manner in which CSA had engaged some of its stakeholders,” regarding governance issues. Standard Bank met with CSA officials – including the underfire Moroe – on Monday evening about “governance and conduct challenges that have tarnished the image of cricket in South Africa.”

%%%twitter https://twitter.com/StandardBankZA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@StandardBankZAsays its meeting with @OfficialCSA was "productive" last night, and is "reasonably" satisfied. My translation: they still lots more work to do to right the ship! pic.twitter.com/6ePznxErW2

— Warren Thompson 🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦 (@ThompsonWarren8)

“As a major sponsor of cricket in South Africa, we believe that we should have been afforded the courtesy to be kept abreast of these developments within CSA, and not to hear about them from the media in the unfortunate manner that we did,” said Thulani Sibeko, Standard Bank Group chief marketing officer, said in the statement.

Standard Bank also acknowledged CSA’s undertaking to “urgently implement remedial actions to address stakeholder concerns.”

Nenzani and Moroe will host a press conference at Cricket SA’ head office in Johannesburg at 6pm on Tuesday.

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