Thabang Moroe intends to fulfil contractual duties, says lawyer

CSA CEO Thabang Moroe was suspended in the first week of December last year. Picture: Christiaan Kotze/BackpagePix

CSA CEO Thabang Moroe was suspended in the first week of December last year. Picture: Christiaan Kotze/BackpagePix

Published Jun 11, 2020

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JOHANNESBURG - With his period of suspension officially over, Thabang Moroe pitched up at Cricket SA’s offices on Thursday morning and will do so again Friday, according to his lawyer Michael Bill. 

“He has a legal obligation to report for duty upon the expiration of the term of his suspension,” Bill said on Thursday about Moroe arriving at CSA’s head office in Johannesburg. “Does he intend to remain fulfilling his contractual duties, which is to serve CSA? Yes he does,” Bill added. 

Cricket SA’s board of directors called an emergency meeting on Thursday evening to discuss the drama that unfolded earlier in the day. Bill stated that CSA contravened its own policies in how it dealt with his client. “There hasn’t been any disciplinary process. There have been conversations,” said Bill.

Monroe was suspended in the first week of December last year. At the time, CSA’s board said it had done so following “reports from the Social and Ethics Committee and the Audit and Risk Committee of the board related to possible failure of controls in the organisation.”

Jacques Faul was appointed in an acting capacity at the time, a role he was still fulfilling as of Thursday. “To my knowledge the board is meeting (Thursday) evening (to discuss Moroe),” said Faul, adding he would carry on in an acting capacity unless told otherwise by the board.

CSA’s acting chief executive,Jacques Faul. Picture credit: twitter.com/Titans_Cricket

Since suspending Moroe, the board, under the presidency of Chris Nenzani, has done nothing in terms of establishing any sort of disciplinary hearing, with Moroe collecting his full salary since December. 

Bill explained that Moroe was informed verbally of his suspension in December, which was contrary to CSA’s own provisions regarding such matters, which stated that he must told in writing and that he also wasn’t given the right to state why he shouldn’t be suspended. 

Monroe first received written confirmation of his suspension on January 24, according to Bill.

“That letter also doesn’t deal with the procedural issues, it simply says he’s been suspended.” Two weeks later Moroe received another phone call stating his suspension was for six months from the time of the announcement in December. “The problem with that is (CSA’s) policy doesn’t provide for six months, it provides for two months and you can increase the two months in exceptional circumstances, but we don’t know what the exceptional circumstances are,” said Bill.

Faul also indicated that it is expressly stated in his secondment contract that he is to have nothing to do with the Moroe matter and that it would be for the board to decide.

Cricket SA has come under increasing pressure in the last week as Moroe’s suspension period was due to end. At the start of the week the players representatives, the SA Cricketers Association, slammed the board for its failure to finalise an inquiry into Moroe’s alleged misconduct.

“There appears to be a distinct lack of will at board level to deal with this matter, despite the dire need for finality on this material issue for all stakeholders in cricket,” said Saca chief executive Andrew Breetzke.

A forensic audit interrogating Moroe’s period in charge at CSA is currently being finalised with the report set to be made public.

@shockerhess

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