JOHANNESBURG - Cricket South Africa’s interim board on Tuesday suspended the organisation’s company secretary Welsh Gwaza, who was fingered at various points in the Fundudzi forensic audit report, for withholding information from CSA.
Gwaza, widely seen in the last 18 months as a sort of puppet master at CSA, was told he’d face a disciplinary hearing “regarding various allegations of misconduct" against him. The hearing will take place on December 14. Gwaza will continue to receive his full salary for the duration of his suspension.
Gwaza played an increasingly influential role at CSA, with the organisation finding itself mired in a plethora of legal cases, not just against individuals who worked at the federation but also some of its provincial affiliates. In the Fundudzi report, one charge made against Gwaza is that he didn’t provide a due diligence report regarding Global Sports Commerce, a company with which CSA signed a commercial and broadcast deal for the Mzansi Super League.
The interim board, which met Tuesday and has been getting to terms with a mandate given to it by Sports Minister, Nathi Mthethwa, also put HR firm, People Link on notice about Chantel Moon, who Fundudzi found had been appointed to a position at CSA for which she wasn’t qualified. Moon, Fundudzi found, was paid a total of R1 253 216.50 for the period 2017 to 2018 “for ad hoc HR related work without a signed contract.” People Link received over R1.6-million for the period August 2019 to April 2020 without CSA following a proper procurement process.
The interim board has instructed People Link to appoint a qualified person to fill the HR position within two days.
Read: Cricket SA make full Fundudzi forensic audit report public
In addition the interim board also terminated the services of public relations company PR Worx with immediate effect.
In its statement on Tuesday, the interim board said the decisions were taken with the aim of “restoring confidence in CSA and its structures.”
“We wish to say that these decisions were taken after serious consideration and debate during which differences of opinion were aired,” the board said at the end of the statement.
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