Cricket South Africa (CSA) was left reeling last night as the organisation’s president, Chris Nenzani, and its acting CEO, Jacques Faul, both quit.
Nenzani’s resignation came through on Saturday, while Faul exclusively confirmed to IOL Sport that despite having just one more month to go in his acting role, he would be stepping down immediately.
Faul refused to go into reasons for his resignation, but it is understood that he is deeply frustrated with the way in which the organisation has been managed.
His resignation leaves CSA leaderless and further underscores the crisis in which the sport finds itself as it battles financial problems, an administrative meltdown and raging debates around transformation.
Faul had been roped into an acting role at CSA last December after Thabang Moroe was suspended - on full pay - pending the outcome of forensic audit.
A report on Moroe has been submitted to the Board of Directors who met with him last week, but no finality was reached.
It is the second time Faul has been appointed as CSA's acting CEO, following a previous call up in 2012 after Gerald Majola was sacked following the bonus scandal.
He will take a brief break and then return to his full-time job as CEO of the Titans franchise.
Nenzani, a school principal in East London, had been at the head of Cricket SA for seven years, the final 12 months of which were controversially added to what is normally a constitutionally mandated two-term period of three years each.
The decision to take the extra year was one Nenzani admitted he regretted.
A statement released by CSA yesterday reads: “Mr. Nenzani has led Cricket South Africa with dedication and astutely since 2013.
"On behalf of Cricket South Africa’s Members’ Council and the Board of Directors we thank Mr. Nenzani for his contributions to Cricket South Africa and for being a loyal servant to the game of cricket.
"We wish him well in his future endeavours and we are sure that he will continue to contribute to the game of cricket."
Nenzani wrote to the Board last Friday to say he would resign a decision that took effect from the following day.
In the last year, CSA has suffered a catastrophic administrative meltdown that has seen Moroe and three senior managers suspended and facing disciplinary hearings, two of those managers disputing their sackings.
The organisation also struggled to acquire much needed income and in the last month saw a volcano explode around transformation and the mistreatment of black players in the national men’s team.
Nenzani has struggled to lead the organisation, with a variety of parties both inside and outside of CSA pulling the organisation and sport in different directions.
With Nenzani gone, CSA has announced that it will elect a new president at the Annual General Meeting to be held on September 5.