Cricket news

[Mata Hari 658]

CSA member claims R600 000

Ajay Sooklal - Head of CSA Legal and Governance Committee (Gallo Images)

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Johannesburg - A Cricket South Africa board member has shocked his colleagues by claiming R600 000 from the organisation for, among other things, text messages and parking costs.

According to The New Age website, in an unexpected twist of events at Cricket South Africa (CSA), Ajay Sooklal has created a storm with his unprecedented claim, made in two separate invoices sent to CSA late last year.

Sooklal claims over R200 000 in the first invoice for “miscellaneous disbursements including faxes, text messages, telephone calls, emails, parking and tollgate fees” - for trips to meet clients in Port Elizabeth and at CSA offices.

In the second invoice, submitted in October, the legal and governance chairperson claims more than R400 000 for, among other services: “taking instructions, attending board meetings and press conferences”.

However, the less than impressed CSA’s compliance secretariat manager, Pume Canca, responded by saying: “The board would like you to explain why you charged professional fees in respect of matters set in your invoices, when the work was supposed to be done in your capacity as a member of the board’s legal and governance committee.”

Labour law specialist Sandile July left the door open for CSA and Sooklal to make successful arguments.

“If the work was done outside CSA’s time then a board member can bill the association but not if it was during time set aside for board meetings. Even then it first has to be pre-approved by the board,” said July.

Although Sooklal has also been asked to explain the critical submissions he made to the Judge Chris Nicholson inquiry, CSA spokesperson Michael Owen-Smith denied suggestions that Sooklal was being victimised.

[Guest DennisL]

More CSA bullshit!

[J1M1 1,053]

CSA is profoundly corrupt!

Any news about the report that Ray Mali is earning R1 million a year from CSA?

Majola wanted to up the amount to R1,3 million..................

I'm in Beenoland so communications is "spotty" to say the least.....about 4 days behind the rest of the world

[Guest DennisL]

On the other hand, if that is what his vald employment contract says, that's what they have to pay!

And with Sooklal, why are they kicking up a fuss about his R600 000 claim for expenses? They've already paid it to him months ago!!

The only way to sort it out?

Fire the lot! and then make them re-apply for their jobs and see if they get them back on merit!!

[Guest Thato]

Cricket in SA is in real danger - domestic T20 Challenge postponed indefinitely and I bet it's due to a lack of funds caused by corruption which led to a loss of sponsors, although they won't say what the reason is behind the postponement

Time for the government to wake up, fire Majola and his buddies and clean CSA up or we'll end up like SL, WI, where our players are not getting paid and our sport will die.

I'm getting sick of this

[bobbok 205]

Its embarrassing ................... effing greedy incompetents .

[taipan 2,266]

Cricket in SA is in real danger - domestic T20 Challenge postponed indefinitely and I bet it's due to a lack of funds caused by corruption which led to a loss of sponsors, although they won't say what the reason is behind the postponement

Time for the government to wake up, fire Majola and his buddies and clean CSA up or we'll end up like SL, WI, where our players are not getting paid and our sport will die.

I'm getting sick of this

I must have missed this.

[Guest DennisL]

I missed it too, Taips!

I must admit, if I was a potential sponsor, I would be extremely wary of putting up my cash for this lot!! R600 000 for emails, sms's and parking for a whistle-stop support campaign!!! Busy bloke!

[Guest Thato]

Cricket SA delays T20 launch

Johannesburg - The launch of the Twenty20 Challenge has been indefinitely postponed, Cricket SA (CSA) said on Monday.

"The domestic T20 launch that was scheduled to take place on Wednesday, 8 February at the Wanderers Club has been postponed until further notice," CSA said in a statement.

The T20 Challenge was scheduled to start on February 15, but the fixtures had not been finalised with less than two weeks to go.

A seventh team was expected to be named as a participant on Wednesday, joining the six South African franchises for the sponsorless competition.

With the national cricket body, and CEO Gerald Majola in particular, involved in an ongoing bonus saga, CSA was unable to secure sponsors for two competitions this season - the T20 Challenge and the One-day Championship.

The SuperSport Series, which concludes this week, was the only competition funded by an independent source.

[Guest DennisL]

You know what is absolutely weird?

In today's New Age newspaper, Pommie has a whole column on the T20 competition and about the extra team, and the implications of it and all, as if the Monday announcement never happened!!

Where did you come accross it Po?

Can he also have missed it like Taips and me??

[vlagman 1,356]

You know what is absolutely weird?

In today's New Age newspaper, Pommie has a whole column on the T20 competition and about the extra team, and the implications of it and all, as if the Monday announcement never happened!!

Where did you come accross it Po?

Can he also have missed it like Taips and me??

I have also read the postponement story somewhere. Could it be that Pommie wrote the article before the anouncement?

[Guest DennisL]

That's what I thought as well Flags, but then why didn't he pull it?? Now he looks like some doofbag who doesn't know what's going on around him.

I must say I'm damn disappointed that the series is not happening. Some night time cricket entertainment (other than IPL) would be nice!.

[taipan 2,266]

To make it worse, what about all the contracted players from overseas?

[Guest DennisL]

Some lawsuits in the offing??

TV rights etc?

[Docker 788]

To make it worse, what about all the contracted players from overseas?

That is interesting. These T20 contracts seem a bit rubbery - there appears to be multiple opt out clauses for the players so I guess the teams have something similiar.

I was looking forward to watching Brad Hogg go around for the Cobras.

[Guest Thato]

I read it on Sport24 friends.

Maybe they just postponed the 'launch party' and the games will still go on? Wishful thinking on my part as SuperSport would have already started advertising the game times...

Well see below - ticket sales on via Ticketpros so confusion continues

T20 Challenge - T20WarriorsCobras

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AXXESS St Georges

Wednesday, 15 February 2012 @ 18:00

R25.00 - R75.00

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[Guest DennisL]

Huh? Po, what you drinking gal?

:clapping-hands:

[Guest Thato]

Huh? Po, what you drinking gal?

something very strong

[Guest Old Nick]

http://www.sport24.co.za/Cricket/Sooklal-paid-to-oust-Nyoka-20120208

[Guest Old Nick]

Johannesburg - A Cricket South Africa official claims he was sent around the country to lobby provincial cricket bosses to oust CSA president and anti-corruption crusader Mtutuzeli Nyoka, a report said on Wednesday.

The claim by Ajay Sooklal, chair of CSA's legal committee, comes after the embattled organisation's board accused him of wrongfully billing CSA for more than R600 000 in expenses for work it said should have been done in his capacity as a board member.

Sooklal told The New Age newspaper he had incurred the expenses as part of a nationwide campaign to lobby provincial affiliates to oust then-president Nyoka, and that the payments had been authorised by Nyoka's arch-rival, chief executive Gerald Majola.

"I was tasked with going around the country with (board member) Ray Mali and persuading the 11 affiliates to vote out Nyoka," said Sooklal.

CSA's board fired Nyoka last year for insisting the organisation take action on what he alleged were corrupt bonus payments to Majola and other staff.

Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula in November launched a commission of inquiry into the allegations.

The commission, headed by judge Chris Nicholson, has been hearing testimony from cricket officials and is expected to deliver its report soon.

Sooklal said CSA's board was grilling him on his expense claims to punish him for making damning submissions to the Nicholson inquiry.

"This is part of the dirty campaign to malign my name for what I said at the cricket hearing. This is ludicrous," he told The New Age.

Majola meanwhile accused Sooklal of waging a smear campaign.

"This has nothing to do with me. It is a matter between the CSA board and Ajay Sooklal. My name is deliberately being dragged in so that people can get tired of me and force me out," he told The New Age.

He said he had signed off on Sooklal's expenses as a routine administrative matter.

An independent audit by accounting firm KPMG said Majola had secretly received four bonuses totalling more than four million rand for the 2009 season and broken South African corporate law on four occasions.

The feud between Majola and Nyoka, one-time friends and former teammates, has tarnished CSA's image and seen it struggle to find sponsors.

Why do I find this so easy to believe?

[vlagman 1,356]

Hehehehe. seems they are now so confused they are not even sure whose knife is in whose back anymore.

By the way, you will see that this thread is now pinned and I suggest we put all general breaking news on here, similar to the "News from around the web"-one on the motorsport board.

[Guest Thato]

So now CSA tweeted that the T20 Launch Party will happen on 13 Feb with x number of followers standing a chance to attend the GLITTERING event - and the tourney starts on 15 Feb - who needs the party?!?! Just go straight into the games

Have you all noticed that white, balloon-like looking tent that was at all the stadiums during the Domestic One Day series? This housed 'CSA VIP's' kitted with flats-creens and whatnot - why do you need a tent to host your VIP's when the stadiums are virtually empty and the so-called VIPs could choose any seat at the stadium?!?! (Oh dumb question Thato, someone's friend at CSA has a tender to supply the tents, so let's keep the corruption streak going).That tent costs around R140,000 per day - my company hired one similar to it for our Sales and Marketing Conference at Drakensberg - now someone tell me, why is Majola and his clowns still employed? They make such retarded decisions it's shocking.

Heaven help us...

[taipan 2,266]

They have to go.

[DbDraad 820]

Should have been long gone long ago, too many fingers in the jar for the provinces to fire them. Its time for the fans, players and the rest of the people involved in cricket to say:" enough is enough" This circus must be stopped....NOW!

[Guest DennisL]

Po, maybe someone needs to ask Fikile!

Someone like, say, Lindiwe Mazibuko??