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Johannesburg - The IFP has welcomed the Cricket South Africa disciplinary hearing's guilty verdict of its suspended CEO Gerald Majola.
"We are happy with the judgment because it takes us one step closer to closing this matter," Inkatha Freedom Party MP Mkhuleko Hlengwa said on Thursday.
"We are hopeful that the Labour Court will move speedily with the appeal so that order can be restored to Cricket SA [CSA]."
The IFP wanted to see CSA hiring a new, "credible and competent" CEO to restore confidence to cricketers and the entire CSA board.
"Cricket SA needs to get back to its core business which, amongst other things, is to develop cricket in the townships," said Hlengwa.
The IFP was opposed to anyone mismanaging funds and enriching themselves with taxpayers' money, he said.
Majola was found guilty in absentia by an independent disciplinary hearing, CSA’s lawyer Nicholas Preston said.
The verdict should be made known on Friday.
"Majola was found guilty on all charges and now we are ready for stage two, which is deciding the appropriate sanction. We hope to have it finalised by Friday," said Preston.
Majola was found guilty on several charges, but primarily of the non-disclosure and receipt of bonuses from the 2009 Indian Premier League tournament and ICC Champions' league, and the misuse of his travel allowance.
He was invited to attend both the findings and the sanction, but chose not to do so.
He withdrew from the hearing last Wednesday, questioning the legitimacy of the process and arguing that the CSA board had already cleared him of any wrongdoing in respect of the charges levelled against him.
He argued that according to the National Sport and Recreation Act, a minister did not have power to appoint a committee of inquiry and only the president of South Africa could do so.
Majola's lawyer Pumezo David said on Thursday that Majola had set aside the disciplinary hearing and had formally opposed it through the Labour Court.
David confirmed that all the respondents in their Labour Court application, which included CSA and President Jacob Zuma, had been furnished with papers and had until October 29 to respond.
He expected CSA to oppose the application, but did not envisage that Labour Court proceedings would start before the end of the year.
