“Remember the date 30^th of April, 2021. It is a seminal date of the history and evolution of cricket in our country. Forever, and from today, cricket will be placed on a different, solid, sound governance pathway,” said Cricket South Africa’s Chairman of the Interim Board, Dr. Stavros Nicolauo.

In a press conference he addressed with South Africa’s Minister of Sport, Art, and Culture, Nathi Mthethwa, and Acting President of Cricket South Africa, Rihan Richards, to formally announce the approval of the Memorandum of Incorporation, which requires Cricket South Africa to have a board comprising a majority of independent members, as per corporate governance principles in South Africa. 

Ending a six-month-long impasse between Cricket South Africa’s Members Council and the South African government, the Members Council, unanimously, voted to approve the Memorandum of Incorporation. Richards emphasized, “We want to make it very clear that this document is now on the basis of consensus. This document is not a compromise. It was a negotiated process to which all parties committed. We do believe this document will now forge a way forward for South African cricket and return for cricket to glories we had in previous years.” 

Dr. Nicolauo highlighted his relief at the approval of the Memorandum of Incorporation, which he explained was a product of the Interim Board’s mandate of implementing the Nicholson Recommendations. “It has been well-documented that we were on the edge of the cliff. I don’t even want to say centimeters, we were millimeters away from the edge of the cliff. We were facing a scenario, apocalyptic almost.” 

According to the Memorandum of Incorporation, the new board will consist of 15 members for the first three years. Of these 15 members, 8 will be independent directors, 5 will be non-independent directors, and 2 will be executives – the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer. The chairman of the board must be independent and will be elected through a voting process. At the end of the three years, the board will have 13 members, with the view that a lean management structure will increase the efficiency of the board. 

South Africa’s Minister of Sport, Art, and Culture, Nathi Mthethwa, was philosophical in his analysis of the events that transpired leading up to the approval of the Memorandum of Incorporation. “The material is the conception of history. Everything is in a constant motion of change. Everything is subject to change, except change itself.

“Change comes at a time when they are comfortable. When it comes, it moves things. It shakes things. Sometimes, it can be painful to those who are affected by change.” Mthethwa believes the unanimous vote in favour of the Memorandum of Incorporation is a victory for cricket and all its stakeholders, but particularly “it’s a victory for the 60 million people of South Africa.” 

With the change in the cricket governance structure in South Africa, Rihaan Richards indicated that Cricket South Africa will now bid aggressively for ICC tournaments slated to take place over the next eight years. “We will target men’s cricket, women’s cricket, and U-19s.”