The South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc) could be the final stumbling block to Cricket South Africa's (CSA's) efforts to finally extricate itself out the ending crisis.
This was the impression the Olympic body, of which CSA is an affiliate, gave when Sascoc told parliament on Friday they had put together a task team to review the newly approved memorandum of incorporation (MoI).
After years of wrangling and prevaricating over implementing retired Judge Chris Nicholson’s recommendations, CSA’s members’ council finally approved amendments to CSA’s constitution last Wednesday to allow for a majority independent board to run cricket.
Though there was a period of limbo whereby CSA spent 24 hours without national recognition, the move managed to stave off utter collapse as Sports Minister Nathi Mthethwa rescinded his government gazetted decision to de-recognise CSA Friday morning.
However, Sascoc president Barry Hendricks, sounding stern at Friday’s address to the sports portfolio committee, bemoaned that they had not been allowed time to review the amended MoI before the members’ council ratified it.
He said that they were going to institute their own review anyway and send their recommendations to CSA thereafter.
"Sascoc’s position is very clear ... we are happy now that the minister has withdrawn the gazette because that was not in the interest of sport," Hendricks told parliament.
"On being notified that the members’ council would adopt the MoI, we corrected the situation by informing our member (CSA) of Sascoc's clause 9.2, which states that any member’s constitution needs to be reviewed and sanctioned by Sascoc.
"We then asked for that process to happen and at that stage the MoI was not sent to SASCOC. We then called to have a meeting with the minister to discuss this matter of the way forward and he indicated to us that he would meet us but we’ve not been able to meet just yet.
"Having now received the MoI, Sascoc will review it and through its (Sascoc’s) members’ council make recommendations to CSA on the matter.
"We have put together a task team to review the MoI and to make recommendations to Sascoc’s council meeting, the general assembly which takes place on 8 May."
Sascoc played a role in the MoI getting vetoed at a 17 April special general meeting where the MoI was expected to be passed but failed to reach the required 75% vote. Sascoc has also historically been against the proposed majority independent board since Nicholson’s 2012 report.
However, CSA interim board chairperson Dr Stavros Nicolaou spelt out that the rubber had hit the road on implementing the new constitution, which will be made public to the media at 14:00 at Friday’s press conference.
The new board, set to be anointed at an annual general meeting, will comprise 15 directors, of which eight will be non-executive independent directors, five will be non-executive non-independent directors and two executive directors (the CSA CEO and CFO).
The board will also have an independent chairperson, elected from the eight independent directors.
Nicolaou also tried to calm fears that experienced sports administrators would be ostracised during the board selection process.
"The MoI has been signed off and (CSA president) Mr Rihan Richards and I agree that we are in a position to release it to the public. We wish to be transparent," said Nicolaou.
"The definition of an independent director does not mean that anyone with sporting administration or cricket knowledge will be excluded from this.
"All it means is, at that point in time, they have to be independent. If they were previously involved in cricket, they would have had to have served a cooling-off period.
"They cannot be conflicted. You cannot have someone sitting in a union also sitting on the CSA board as an independent.
"That addresses some of the concerns that sporting administrators are being left fully out in the cold."