Embattled Cricket South Africa hit with fourth board resignation of the month

Central Gauteng Lions chairman Jack Madiseng is the latest senior official to step away, citing "moral and principle circumstances" behind his decision

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Jack Madiseng has become the fourth person to leave the board of Cricket South Africa since the start of December as administrative turmoil in the country continues.

The resignation of Madiseng, who has served as president of Gauteng Cricket Board since 2016 and joined CSA as a non-independent director in February of this year, follows calls for action from several of the game's major stakeholders, including the South African Cricketers' Association and national team sponsors Standard Bank and Sunfoil.

Crisis has erupted in recent weeks after several senior journalists had their accreditation revoked by the board for their reporting on the board, with Madiseng citing his colleagues' inaction during an emergency meeting last week as the motivating factor behind his depature.

"I would like to thank you for welcoming me into the CSA leadership," Madiseng wrote, according to The Mail & Guardian.

"Unfortunately moral and principle circumstances forced me to consider this action after witnessing the board refusing to take accountability and stepping down at the members council meeting that was held on December 6."

Madiseng's departure follows those of board colleagues Dawn Mokhobo, Iqbal Khan and Professor Shirley Zinn earlier this month. Both Khan and Zinn had issued similarly scathing statements regarding the conduct of staff members including chief executive Thabang Moroe upon their resignations.

Moroe was eventually suspended pending corruption investigations last week, with Jacques Faul announced as his interim successor and former Proteas skipper Graeme Smith yesterday appointed as director of cricket on a three-month term.

Madiseng had previously replaced Moroe upon his departure from Gauteng to become vice-president of Cricket South Africa, and last week led board criticism of CSA president Chris Nenzani and his deputy Beresford Williams for their roles in the ongoing controversies.

"Our brand is in a mess and your lack/poor leadership has misled the public to think that we, as the board, have fully empowered the CEO to independently make all decisions, which is wrong," Madiseng said in an email to Nenzani, published by TimesLive.

"If the CEO was accountable for making all these decisions, then I can proudly, without a shadow of a doubt, say: it's time to 'fire/dismiss' the CEO.

"At the present moment, the people that should be fired should be the board or the president and the vice-president for poor/lack of leadership and lacklustre decision-making."

^{Image: Central Gauteng Lions}

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