Govt could deregister CSA: Probe panel chief

Pretoria: The South African government could deregister Cricket South Africa and withhold funding if it refused to accept the findings of an inquiry into its financial affairs, the chief of the probe panel said on Wednesday.

The inquiry into the financial affairs of CSA, sparked by undeclared IPL 2 bonuses that chief executive Gerald Majola paid himself and other senior CSA officials, will continue in 2011. © AFP

"Hopefully the power of public opinion will be that Cricket South Africa (CSA) will take up our recommendations and implement them," said retired judge Chris Nicholson, the chairman of the inquiry into the financial affairs of CSA that instituted by sports minister Fikile Mbalula.

The inquiry into the financial affairs of CSA, sparked by undeclared IPL 2 bonuses that chief executive Gerald Majola paid himself and other senior CSA officials, will continue in 2011.

Nicholson said at the end of the third week of oral hearings that more oral hearings may be held in January.

Mbalula had requested the inquiry committee to deliver a final report by Christmas, but Nicholson said this was not possible.

"At the moment, in excess of 5,000 pages have been brought to our attention. All of that will need very careful scrutiny and analysis, so although the minister wanted us to report within a month, that unfortunately is not going to be possible," Nicholson said.

The final report is now expected to be ready only in February, when Mbalula plans to release it publicly, according to Nicholson.

The retired judge said he was keen to hear from other parties as well, including Dr Ali Bacher, the former general manager of the United Cricket Board of South Africa, which preceded CSA.

In his testimony to the inquiry on Tuesday, Majola accused Bacher of having set a precedent for future executive bonuses by pocketing South African Rand 5 million bonus for hosting the 2003 Cricket World Cup in South Africa, something that Bacher has denied.