ASA's financial woes mount

Johannesburg - Athletics SA (ASA) plunged further into disarray on Friday as the SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) wiped its hands of the federation.

A year after Sascoc took over the administration of ASA, suspending its entire executive, the Olympic governing body confirmed in a statement that it had relinquished control to the new nine-member ASA board.

However, hours later a sheriff of the court arrived at the ASA head office in Houghton and threatened to remove furniture if communications manager Ethel Manyaka did not receive full compensation for a previous suspension.

With ASA administrator Ray Mali out of the office, the sheriff said he would return next week to confiscate furniture if Manyaka had not been paid a R10 500 shortfall on the R77 995 she was awarded in an arbitration hearing.

"Ray was not in the office and he didn't pick up his phone, so he (the sheriff) attached furniture and said it would be collected early next week unless they do something before then," said a senior ASA employee who would not be named.

"He said he had written up almost everything including the switchboard."

ASA general manager Molatelo Malehopo is also involved in an ongoing case against the federation at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration.

He was suspended in November last year with two other employees and the entire board for their bungling of the Caster Semenya gender debacle. A forensic report later revealed financial mismanagement.

SASCOC confirmed that suspended ASA president Leonard Chuene, vice-president Kakata Maponyane and executive Simon Dlamini, who are the only three not to have resigned from the board, would know their fate by the end of the month.

None of them appeared for disciplinary hearings last week, but SASCOC president Tubby Reddy said it expected a conclusion to an inquiry by the end of November and that the outcome would have no impact on the new board.

Reddy said that while SASCOC board member Ray Mali would remain involved as an ASA administrator, the ASA board would regain full control of the federation's affairs.

"The administration of the sport will again be the responsibility of ASA’s board, headed by James Evans," Reddy said.

"SASCOC recognises the board elected in September as the custodians of ASA and the next board election will be in 2012."

Reddy said the International Association of Athletics Federations had been informed of the official handover and was "comfortable" with SASCOC’s decision.