Johannesburg - Suspended Athletics South Africa (ASA) president Leonard Chuene will continue to fight the disciplinary charges against him, he said via his lawyers on Thursday.

Chuene, suspended ASA vice president Kakata Maponyane and ordinary member Simon Dlamini believed the SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) had no right to suspend them, they said in a statement released by their lawyers.

The High Court in Johannesburg's Judge Moroa Tsoka last week dismissed their interdict to prevent disciplinary procedures.

"We are left with very little if no choice to defend our rights and not to be continually charged in the court of public opinion by SASCOC," they said in the statement released by Mncedisi Ndlovu and Sedumedi Attorneys.

The three said they were preparing an application to review a number of SASCOC decisions including their suspensions and the appointment of SASCOC  board member Ray Mali as ASA administrator.

Mali said last week that disciplinary hearings had been held in their absence and that SASCOC's disciplinary committee's findings were expected soon.

The entire ASA board was suspended a year ago for its handling of the gender debacle surrounding Caster Semenya, after Chuene admitted lying about tests conducted on the athlete in Pretoria.

SASCOC then took control of the federation and called for an internal audit which reportedly revealed financial mismanagement.
Chuene, Maponyane and Dlamini were the only three ASA board members not to resign.

They insist that they were vindicated when the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) cleared Semenya for competition in July.

"It has been a year and approximately two weeks since our suspension and the charges were only served on our attorneys last month," they said on Thursday.

"By the time the charges had arrived, Semenya was declared a woman and was permitted to compete as one.

"Clearly, the basis for our suspension had become void. However, SASCOC was bent on continuing to justify their presence at ASA," they said.

They charged that SASCOC acted unlawfully in staging a "coup" to take over ASA.

The three said they had asked that former chief justice Pius Langa replace disciplinary committee chairperson Norman Arendse.

"The rationale for this request is to enable the appointment of an impartial, unbiased an independent chairperson who will arbitrate over the matter without fear or favour.

"Currently, advocate Norman Arendse, the former head of Cricket SA, chairs the disciplinary proceedings, and would invariably have a relationship with SASCOC through his previous position.

However, SASCOC has refused and had given no reasons for its decision.

Even though the disciplinary hearings are still pending, SASCOC handed control of the ASA to its newly-elected board last week.

On Wednesday, new ASA chairperson  James Evans said it was ready to tackle the new year despite the three vacancies on the board.