It may only last for a few more hours depending on what Sports Minister Nathi Mthethwa does next, but as of Thursday, Cricket South Africa (CSA) was officially stripped of its government funding and its status as a national federation.
This comes after an official government gazette was published on Thursday that formalised Mthethwa's decision, initially tabled last week Friday, to enforce section 13.5 of the National Sport and Recreation act.
The gazette published on Thursday attributed the action to CSA having not implemented the recommendations of the 2012 Nicholson report, which had instructed CSA to change its constitution to allow for a board made up of majority independent directors.
That had been at the heart of the stand-off between CSA's members' council, who were initially opposed the change, and the interim board that has been tasked, on Mthethwa's instruction, to clean up the administrative affairs of CSA.
This past Sunday, however, an agreement was reached between the members' council and the interim board to allow for the new MoI and the election of a majority independent board.
The members' council officially approved the MoI change on Wednesday afternoon.
That all but guaranteed that CSA had avoided its crisis and preserved its status and funding from government, but with the gazette now being published, CSA finds itself in a period of limbo.
Mthethwa, the member's council and the interim board are addressing media on Friday at 14:00, and more clarity will come then with the minister expected to rescind his decision.
The members' council and the interim board, meanwhile, have sent a joint letter to the ministry, formally requesting that the action be rescinded.
"Cricket South Africa's (CSA) Members' Council and Interim Board respectfully requests you to give favourable consideration to rescinding the decision you took last week to exercise your rights in terms of Section 13 (5) of the National Sport and Recreation Act 110 of 1998, as amended," the letter read.
The interim board's Judith February expressed confidence that the matter would be resolved.
"The IB wrote a joint letter, along with the MC to the minister today [Thursday] requesting the rescission," she said.
"We are confident that now that an amended MOI has been accepted unambiguously and unanimously by the MC, that the minister will respond appropriately."
Sport24 has approached the ministry for comment.
