Cricket: Boardroom bust up after bonus payment

Cricket South Africa's chief executive Gerald Majola. Photo / Getty Images

While South Africa's cricketers are engaged in what is developing into a fascinating test series in New Zealand, there are troubles afoot in the boardroom back home.

Cricket South Africa's chief executive Gerald Majola is under investigation for breaches of that country's Companies Act.

Acting president AK Khan has resigned this week, along with the chairman of its auditing committee, John Blair.

An investigation is under way into US$671,428 ($817,000) in bonus payments paid to Majola and other staff relating to the 2009 Indian Premier League, and Champions Trophy, which were held in South Africa. The payments were not disclosed to the CSA remunerations committee.

The committee investigating it ruled Majola had violated the act and recommended the case be referred to its National Prosecuting Authority. Majola, who has been CEO for nine years, insisted he was innocent and that he had declared the bonuses to the CSA board verbally, but nothing had been done in writing.

On top of that there is a strong push to restructure the CSA board, removing regional interests and making it a more independent authority.

South Africa's players' association boss Tony Irish, in New Zealand for several days, said while the players aren't losing sleep over the ruckus in the boardroom, issues over revenue do affect them.

South Africa operates a player payment pool, which is reconciled at the end of the year, players effectively receiving dividends out of that pool.

Sponsors, unhappy at the board room shenanigans, are twitchy.

"The credibility of the game, and how the game is seen by the public is a very big issue for the players," he said. "The perception of cricket and how it is being administered is not good."

Irish admires the setup of the New Zealand Cricket board, and sees it as a template for how other national bodies should operate.

"Of all the [world cricket] boards, New Zealand has probably got the most independence.

"There is an understanding that when you sit on a board you make decisions in the interests of that body, and not of regional interest."