Khaya Zondo ready for challenge as Saca president

Khaya Zondo of Dolphins during the Momentum One Day Cup cricket match between Lions and Dolphins on the 13 March 2020 at Senwes Park Pic Sydney Mahlangu/BackpagePix

Khaya Zondo of Dolphins during the Momentum One Day Cup cricket match between Lions and Dolphins on the 13 March 2020 at Senwes Park Pic Sydney Mahlangu/BackpagePix

Published Dec 15, 2020

Share

JOHANNESBURG - Khaya Zondo’s ascension to the role of president of the South African Cricketers’ Association (Saca) comes at a critical time for the players’ union and the sport generally in the country.

Zondo was named the new president of the players’ body yesterday, taking over from Omphile Ramela, who vacated the position in November and just last week was at the centre of a storm that saw him suspended from Cricket SA’s interim Board of Directors.

Ramela was charged with violating sections of the Companies Act, with the board’s chairman, former constitutional court judge, Zak Yacoob, saying that he was “shocked” by Ramela’s conduct.

Part of Yacoob’s astonishment would have been related to how Ramela and Saca were treated by the previous administrative leadership of Cricket SA, who attempted to create division among the association’s executive at the time that leadership were plunging CSA into chaos.

“Omphile led Saca as president over a tumultuous four-year period when the relationship between Saca and CSA was at its most challenging,” said Saca chief executive Andrew Breetzke.

“During the GLT20 contract dispute, MoU18 negotiation, and the 2019/20 CSA crises, Omphile stood on principle in protecting the interests of our members. He has worked tirelessly for the player cause.”

Zondo, son of the deputy chief justice of the constitutional court Raymond Zondo, himself had a brush with controversy when picked for South Africa’s one-day squad for a series in India in 2015.

Zondo should have played in the last match of that series but was overlooked for selection with Dean Elgar, who’d flown in to be part of the Test squad, then elevated to the starting team for the final match.

It led to the country’s black players writing a letter to CSA at the time, in which they highlighted the unfairness of the selection of Elgar over Zondo as part of a broader argument about how black players were undermined in South Africa.

The hashtag ‘DrinksCarriersMustFall’ was used to conclude the letter.

Ramela was very much at the forefront of that movement, although Zondo never spoke publicly about it.

Transformation remains an unresolved element for CSA as Zondo, 30, steps into his new brief.

During the recent T20 series with England, it emerged that

CSA, through its previous board of directors, had submitted a new set of targets for the number of black players in the national men’s and women’s teams.

Those targets were later suspended by the interim board as part of its mandate to review all decisions taken by the directors who resigned at the end of October.

“We face massive challenges with Covid-19, the domestic restructure, transformation, and the financial security of the game,” Zondo said in a statement.

“As an organisation, Saca will continue to confront these challenges with the best interests of players and the game at heart.”

Grant Thomson was elected by members onto the Saca executive, where he joins Zondo, Farhaan Behardien and Mignon du Preez.

Temba Bavuma and Craig Alexander have joined the executive committee as co-opted members.

@shockerhess

IOL Sport

Related Topics: