by Trevor Chesterfield
On the face of it, charges of divisive boardroom politics decided how Norman Arendse – aka Stormin’ Norman to many in International Cricket Council circles - should make his surprising announcement that he had quit as Cricket South Africa’s president.
As expected, and with a reputation for erratic and antagonistic behaviour, it is not his style to walk away in silence, sit in some corner and debate the question with himself, or depart without a few choice words to let off at those he sees as his bête noir in provincial and national administrative cricket circles.
He did not disappoint either camp as word spread that he was no longer wanted.
An insider in Cape Town confirms how Arendse gave a “rhetorical elbow-jolting, face-slapping, eye-gouging, no-holds-barred farewell” media briefing of why he decided it “is time to go” it is with a rancorous blast.
As a night of the long knives had been predicted at the Wanderers in Johannesburg, when Cricket South Africa hold their annual meeting on September 26, the boardroom politics scene became a fairly good copout excuse as a reason to pack his tepee and depart. Since he quit, the man he suggested take over the vacancy, Raymond Uren, doesn’t want the job either. It’s a wise move. Uren, a highly respected veteran Port Elizabeth administrator linked to the well-supported one-time anti-apartheid body the South African Council on Sport (Sacos), feels there are others more qualified.
In the Uren group is Dave Emslie, another honest administrative with a solid cricket background as credentials and long-time chief executive of Eastern Province and Eastern Cape franchise the Eastern Cape Warriors. A former first-class player and provincial B team captain, Dave Emslie comes from solid Eastern Cape family links which can trace their roots to the 1820 settlers stock and knows more than enough of local traditions and the evolving system which includes a strong legacy of non-white involvement.
This includes CSA’s chief executive, Gailor (Gerald) Majola. He is also from the Eastern Cape, Xhosa-speaking and has degrees in business management and accountancy and the butt of Arendse’s tirade and what he refers to as the 6/5 division in the game in South Africa.
Just how genuine is this so-called 6/5 divide is hard to guess; it could, of course, be more hot air from a furnace now in the process of shrivelling and becoming falling star.
Majola is also someone who in his early years had to battle his way through the disreputable apartheid run black educational system. He is also as much aware as is Arendse and others to the transformation needs in the system. Except of course he is professional and as such well organised to the requirements and demands of the game. He sees his role as did Ali Bacher when in charge in the early years of what was the United Cricket Board (of South Africa), to run the body as a professional organisation for the betterment of the game and all involved.
As one of the few genuine and a leading administrator in the country, Majola is all too aware that South Africa is a nation in transition and how the game needs to be moved into the disadvantaged communities. But as with Emslie and Uren would point out how among the Africans, who make up eight-eight percent of the population, it needs time to develop into a culture. It also takes a generation to create such a culture.
While regions such as the Eastern, Western, and Northern capes, along with KwaZulu/Natal have strong, vibrant cricket traditions and a developed culture and coaching and club-playing structure, there are grey areas in other parts of the country. These are in the Free State and the former regions of the old Transvaal that since the mid-1990s been divided into four provinces including the country’s financial powerhouse, Gauteng with its base in Johannesburg.
So, when Uren said he didn’t want the presidency he, along with others, is likely to support Gauteng Cricket Board’s chairman, Dr Mtutuzeli Nyoka. Here is a medical man, an eye specialist, also from the Eastern Cape and now cast in the Nelson Mandela mould of peacemaker. He is favoured to assume the CSA’s presidency but there may not be an election on September 26.
Reading the reasons for Arendse’s suggesting hidden boardroom agendas, Uren also says he doesn’t have eyes in the back of his head, which indicates he could be targeted by other groups should he make several major administrative faux pas’ as did Arendse.
Insiders tell of how during the Lord’s Test in this past series between South Africa and England for the Basil D’Oliveira Trophy, Arendse’s sudden cronyism with England Cricket Board chairman Giles Clark led to the crossing off the list of important invitees to his box to accommodate Arendse’s daughter and her friend. This of course is not as bad as the very public humiliation of Charl Langeveld which shook the foundation of the sport and in part perpetrated by a particular reporter based in Durban. It had been designed to embarrass the selectors, most of the team’s management, and certain administrators.
The Western Cape seam and swing bowler, more noted as limited overs player than a Test cap, was distraught enough to pull the plug on his international career when discovering how, at Arendse’s veto power of the selection committee, his inclusion in the side selected for the Test series in India in March was due to transformation number factors. It led to the distressing situation where an emotional Langeveldt rebelled against the politically motivated quota games.
Langeveldt had been surprisingly selected for the India tour and his big friend, Andre Nel, dropped.
When the initial story broke before the final game of the Bangladesh tour, it was the known South African media sycophant in the Arendse/Logan Naidoo camp, who writes for a Durban afternoon daily, hinted how news of selection had been “mishandled by the team’s coaching management”. Typically of this reporter, the story was written without any substantiation of facts or quotes, but mischievously hinted at racism in the Proteas camp an with it, selection policy.
Emotionally distraught by the slanted and callous reporting and events, Langeveldt felt it wasn’t worth the effort to play for South Africa and signed a Kolpak agreement with Derbyshire.
At this point, the politicians in the government appointed sports committee were all too quick in the blame game, finding any number of excuses about a wrong interpretation over quotas and numbers.
Not only had Arendse seriously fudged the issue and misread the signs, so had the subjective politicians and the skewed Durban reporter whose scurrilous writings on the team selection policy involving the Proteas are known to be tainted and nefarious.
As part of the CSA probe into selection policy and under new guidelines, Arendse lost the power of veto and the captain and coach could now only advise on team and players and not be part of the selection panel.
One area where his style of interrogation created surprise as well as alarm at international level was where he and Giles Clark hammered Zimbabwe’s Peter Chingoka over the possible deaths of players during what have been labelled as “ethnic cleansing” episode in the aftermath of Zimbabwe’s disputed March elections.
Chingoka and his CEO henchman Ozias Bvute are known government supporters and there have been strong whispers that several players who were in two Zimbabwe squads have disappeared. There was also a threat to a group of South African players in Harare in what was a domestic tournament that involved South African provincial teams. These are reasons why CSA ended their association with Zimbabwe.
While these may be seen as plus signs, the pathway is potholed with any number of gaffes at international and domestic levels.
Arendse wanted to turn the process upside down and play with the national team and get his way to please the politicians. He seems to forget there is first a need to develop a cricket culture, and this in communities where for 200 years there had been none; where years of effort are needed to achieve this dream.
While such a culture at grassroots level has been developed through a long-sponsored and well supported mini-cricket programme that is spread through all communities, it also needs to be monitored to discover the talent as from high schools this seems to largely disappear.
It was where Advocate Arendse needed to concentrate his and CSA’s energies to encourage transformation at school and junior levels. It calls for a probe to be made of what has happened since 1982 when the mini-cricket system was launched and which has since seen millions of rands spent on the game at grassroots among disadvantaged groups.
It is here where it will be noted how many within the transformation category have come through the ranks and are genuine mini-cricket products.
But there is also the other side of the CSA transformation programme and international divide where Arendse and others within the South African system are in danger of flouting the ICC code. It would be interesting to hear what interpretation Arendse and the South African politicians place on sections A, B, C and D of the ICC’s anti-racism code?
(a) ICC and all of its embers shall promote and encourage participation at all levels regardless of race, colour, religion, national or ethnic origin.
(b) ICC and all of its members shall ensure that there is no discrimination in any form against any person because of race, colour, religion, national or ethnic origin.
(c) The ICC and all of its members shall ensure that the provisions of all ICC rules and regulations are applied without regard to race, colour, religion, national or ethnic origin.
(d) All members of the ICC shall incorporate the provisions of the ICC anti-racism code in their constitutions, disciplinary codes and statutes so that it is fully applicable to all international matches played under the auspices of the ICC.
South Africa’s transformation has a long way to go, it needs help and guidance as well as good and professional governance to move forward, not be placed in a straight jacket by politicians that is designed to kill the desire to play and embrace the new society where all are equal and the game is for everyone.
