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'Too white' CSA board criticised

Cape Town - A race row has erupted after a key figure in the selection process of the new Cricket South Africa (CSA) board criticised it for being "too white".

This comes after the Board of Directors of CSA completed the selection process of the five Independent Directors to serve on the new board of CSA which will be constituted at the annual general meeting later this month.

The following appointments were announced on Tuesday:

• Louis von Zeuner (chairperson)
• Dawn Mokhobo
• Vusi Pikoli
• Mohamed Iqbal Khan
• Geoff Whyte

However, there appears to be unhappiness with the racial composition of the board, especially after Cape Town-based advocate Norman Arendse's name was omitted.

According to the IOL website, Shawn Christiansen was head of an independent interim nominations committee appointed by the acting CSA board to find the five new independent board members. Christiansen, along with Denver Hendricks, Brian O’Connell and Ansie Ramahlo advertised the call for nominations from August 13 to September 14 and later submitted their selection.

Their nomination for the new chairperson was Arendse, followed by Mokhobo, Pikoli, Von Zeuner and Iqbal Khan. They also recommended that Whyte and Julian Smith play key roles in sub-committees.

However, on Tuesday the CSA board confirmed that it wanted Mokhobo, Pikoli, Von Zeuner and Khan, but dismissed Arendse both as a board member and as chairperson. Von Zeuner was then made chairperson, with Whyte in Arendse’s place - a decision which upset Christiansen, leaving him questioning the "demographics" of the board.

He feels it's problematic that CSA has appointed a white chairperson, because cricket in SA “already has white captains, a white coach and a white CEO and a white acting president” - a reference to skippers Graeme Smith and AB de Villiers, Gary Kirsten, Jacques Faul and Willie Basson.

“The coloured community in South Africa makes up an important constituency of cricket... as does the Indian community and the white community.

“We wanted to make sure that all our communities and races are sufficiently represented on this committee. So... we nominated Norman Arendse.”
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