Thu May 17 17:26:35 SAST 2012

Yes, bowl out the crooks, Mbalula!

Nov 6, 2011 | SundayWorld comment | 0 Comments

SPORTS Minister Fikile Mbalula's appointment of a high powered committee to investigate the financial affairs of Cricket South Africa (CSA) was long overdue.

Cricket has for a long time been rocked by a series of scandals involving the organisation's finances, along with talk of cover-ups and long knives against those keen to expose the rot.

Mbalula promised action if the bickering continued and he stayed true to his word this week.

The dynamic yet sometimes controversial minister displayed the enthusiasm of a top batsman and the swiftness of a fast-bowler in appointing a committee to investigate CSA following a report submitted by auditing firm KPMG into financial irregularities in the organisation.

Announcing KwaZulu-Natal High Court judge Chris Nicholson as chairman of the probe on Friday, Mbalula reiterated his desire to have it done by Christmas.

The forensic audit conducted by KPMG revealed that cricket chief Gerald Majola paid himself a whopping R1,8m from a bonuses package totalling R4,7m.

The bonuses were sourced from the financial windfall CSA got for hosting a successful Indian Premier League and the ICC Champions Trophy two years ago.

The auditing firm also found that the R4,7m was kept secret from the CSA's remuneration committee.

Hopefully the inquiry will put to rest the matter, which has for months been gnawing at the moral fibre of the sport and chasing away sponsors.

It's quite brave of the minister to stir up the cricket board hornet's nest, whose members are seen as untouchables.

Along with the rest of the nation, Mbalula wants to know the reasons for the non-disclosure of bonus payments to CSA employees.

And we want CSA to tell us why the KPMG's findings were not made public. The audit recommended that CSA's remuneration and travel allowance policy be reviewed, as required by the Companies Act.

We hope the inquiry will also look into the motion of no-confidence in former president Mtutuzeli Nyoka.

Nyoka was the first to uncover corruption.

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