New cricket boss Pholetsi Moseki wants to leave CSA in a better place

Newly-appointed Cricket SA (CSA) boss Pholetsi Moseki says he has the backing of the board and the support from players, staff and stakeholders and is confident everyone is ready to put the shoulder to the wheel as he sets out to steer the organisation to world cricket’s top table.

Moseki joined CSA as chief finance officer in 2019 and stepped up to the CEO role on an acting basis in December 2020.

Moseki was confirmed as the new permanent CEO on a five-year contract as CSA ended their long search for a new full time accounting officer CEO at the organisation’s headquarters in Melrose Estate on Wednesday.

He said he is acutely aware of the challenges that lie ahead.

“The journey ahead is going to be challenging and tough but I work with a bunch of dedicated people,” an upbeat Moseki said.

“This is a calling and not a job for them and I know together with our colleagues at affiliate level we will be able to take cricket to where it belongs.”

CSA employed three acting CEOs since Thabang Moroe was suspended in December 2019. Jacques Faul and Kugandrie Govender occupied the role before Moseki’s appointment.

Two of the previous CEOs were dismissed after protracted disciplinary proceedings and Moseki said he is confident he will see his contract through.

“I’m quite excited with the journey ahead and do hope that in five year’s time there’ll be a farewell party for me that’s attended by everyone.

“So I’m confident that I will finish my term and leave CSA in a better place otherwise I wouldn’t have accepted this massive responsibility.”

The organisation’s reputation took a nose dive and suffered financial loses as administration and governance malfunctioned to a point where sports ministry had to intervene and order the Chris Nenzani-led board to resign en masse.

Moseki said getting CSA back on its two feet financially is top of his administration’s priorities.

“Another part of our priorities will be to diversify our revenue streams including sponsorships and digital programmes and those are all aligned to the organisation’s strategic vision taking into consideration financially where the world is currently.

“The economy is tough and getting sponsorships is challenging not only for cricket all the other codes.”

CSA chair Lawson Naidoo backed the new chief executive and said the board couldn’t have picked a more suitable candidate after a competitive albeit protracted recruitment process.

Naidoo said Moseki’s appointment bodes well for continuity.

“He has that institutional knowledge and knows what has happened in the last few years he has been with CSA.

“He understands the whole of the cricket ecosystem from the grassroots up and therefore he is someone who will able to step into the role and immediately begin to make an impact,” said Naidoo.

CSA attracted a lot of bad press after Moroe’s suspension in December 2019. The organisation lost their headline sponsor that it has struggled to replace and trust levels from stakeholders, including the players, were arguably at an all time low.

Moseki said CSA is working on improving relations with its stakeholders and understands that regaining the trust and faith in the organisation will not happen overnight.

“To break trust is very easy but to build it take a very long time.

“There have been numerous challenges which resulted in a lot of our stakeholders losing faith and trust in the administration.

“Pholetsi being confirmed as the new CEO doesn’t necessarily mean the trust will be automatically regained.

“It is something that we’ll have to work on as an organisation and we’re committed to that.”

One of the key CSA stakeholders SA Crciketers’ Association’s (Saca) relations almost soured after the players union threatened to take the cricket governing body to court over as the two bodies failed to find common ground on fundamental aspects related to administration.

CSA and Saca have a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) agreement which is renewed every four years.

Saca uses the MoU to bargain for player contracts and benefits and commercial agreements linked to players’ image rights.

The MoU agreement is due for renewal at the end of April and Moseki said the two parties have already been to the negotiating table.

“The negotiations started in November last year and discussions have been quite positive.

“Our relationship with Saca has improved tremendously from where it was two years ago. Ultimately we all want the same thing which is sustainability in cricket,” said Moseki.