DA calls for CSA board to resign for sloppy handling of SJN commission

25 April 2022

The DA calls on the board of Cricket South Africa (CSA) to resign following the messy handling of the Social Justice and Nation-Building (SJN) commission, which has essentially dragged cricket in South Africa into disrepute.

An independent arbitration panel has ruled in favor of former South Africa captain Graeme Smith over racism allegations brought during the 2021 Social Justice and Nation (SJN) hearings. Some of the concerning elements that we have noted include the fact that the hearing was rushed and the Terms of Reference were never going to be completed due to the way the process was set up, leading to the conclusion that this was just a CSA box-ticking exercise. This is extremely concerning, given that people's reputations and careers were at stake.

We will be submitting a request for the full report to be made public, and for the board of CSA to resign because of the way they handled this process.

SJN should have constituted a proper commission of enquiry that was empowered to carry out its work. We cannot allow a situation where allegations of racism are thrown around against people on public platforms without any mechanisms in place to get to the bottom of it.

Given our history, we must take charges of racism most seriously, but we must also avoid organising commissions on the spur of the moment without giving them the resources they require to do their duties as was the case with the SJN, which left us with more questions than answers.

Issued by  DA Shadow Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, 25 April 2022