Friday, April 15, 2011

Cricket South Africa president ousting 'unlawful'

A South African High Court on Friday ordered Cricket South Africa (CSA) to re-instate its president Mtutuzeli Nyoka, who was fired following a public feud with the organisation's chief executive.

Nyoka took CSA to court after the organisation's members' forum, comprising provincial presidents, passed a vote of no confidence in Nyoka at a special meeting in February.

The court found that Nyoka's sacking was unlawful and should be set aside, Sapa news agency reported.

CSA said it would appeal the judgment.

"Cricket South Africa will file notice of appeal in due course," it said in a statement.

A dispute between Nyoka and CSA chief executive Gerald Majola had been simmering since Nyoka challenged the payment of a 1.7 million rand ($248,000, 172,000-euro) bonus to Majola following the staging of the Indian Premier League in South Africa in 2009.

Other key staff also received bonuses, which were awarded without the approval of CSA's remuneration committee.

Nyoka recently accused Majola of lying to him about the contents of a contract between CSA and the IPL.

The then-president claimed he was deceived into supporting Majola in a row with the Gauteng Cricket Board, which controls the country's biggest cricket stadium, the Wanderers in Johannesburg, resulting in the Gauteng board being dissolved.

Gauteng demanded to know the terms of the contract between CSA and the IPL, stating that it believed Majola had put CSA at financial risk.

Casualties of the controversy include the board's treasurer, Hentie van Wyk, and leading banker Paul Harris, an independent director, who failed to gain re-election at last year's annual meeting after querying the bonus payments.

When the payments were first made public before the 2010 annual meeting, CSA promised an independent inquiry but this was later changed to an internal hearing, headed by vice-president AK Khan, which cleared Majola of wrongdoing.

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