Cricket SA's Social Justice hearings into discrimination in the sport to resume next Monday

The hearings for Cricket South Africa’s Social Justice and Nation-Building initiative will restart on Monday, July 5, and Dumisa Ntsebeza has until the end of September to submit a final report regarding racism in the sport

The hearings for Cricket South Africa’s Social Justice and Nation-Building initiative will restart on Monday, July 5, and Dumisa Ntsebeza has until the end of September to submit a final report regarding racism in the sport. Photo: Siphiwe Sibeko/AFP

Published Jul 2, 2021

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JOHANNESBURG – Cricket SA’s Transformation Ombudsman, Adv. Dumisa Ntsebeza, must submit a final report regarding racism in the sport to the organisation’s Board of Directors by the end of September.

Cricket SA announced on Friday, that the hearings for its Social Justice and Nation-Building initiative (SJN) would restart on Monday, July 5, after the original start date in May was postponed after legal objections were raised.The rescheduled hearings will take place from July 5 until July 23, but extra time can be granted, right up until final report has to be submitted.

Ntsebeza must provide the Board with updates at the end of July and again at the end of August.

The objectives of the hearings were outlined in the Terms of Reference, agreed to by the Board on Friday. The ombudsman is tasked with determining the “causes, nature and extent” of racial discrimination within South African cricket. The issue reached boiling point last year amidst calls for the Proteas to show support for the Black Lives Matter movement.

Allegations of racial discrimination were made by some of the country’s most prominent cricketers re-opening old wounds.

Although when the SJN was initially launched, with former board member Dr. Eugenia Kula-Ameyaw as the face of the initiative, promises were made of financial compensation, the Terms of Reference released Friday, make no such pledge. Ntsebeza must, as part of his recommendations advise, CSA’s Transformation Committee on the “involvement of former players in cricket structures, such as incorporating them in the value chain system as brand ambassadors or for job opportunities at CSA amongst others.”

Cricket SA’s Board also called for Ntsebeza’s recommendations to include measures to prevent the future incidents of racial and other forms of discrimination occurring.

Hearings will be held in public, however should anyone require their participation to be anonymous they will be granted that request.

A key point, especially in light of the legal objections raised previously, is that anyone against whom an allegation is made will be able to respond to the allegation, either through submitting an affidavit or in a private hearing.

@shockerhess

IOL Sport

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