New twist in the curious case of Moroe-v-CSA

An oddly familiar stranger pitched up at the gates of Cricket South Africa’s (CSA) offices in Johannesburg on Thursday morning. He was initially not allowed entry, not least because the precinct remains closed due to Covid-19 regulations. And even though he was, technically, the chief executive.

Thabang Moroe has not been CSA’s operational boss since December 6, when he was suspended for alleged misconduct. The board gave themselves six months to resolve the issue. They failed: the six months expired last week, apparently without Moroe having been presented with an official charge sheet, nevermind had his case heard.

So, on the face of it, Moroe was within his rights to report for duty. Indeed, nitpickers may ask why he hasn’t been back at work since Monday. They could also make the point that he was not wearing a face mask, a contravention of anti-coronavirus measures, when he alighted from his car at the gates. How do we know this? Because his arrival was captured in a photograph posted on social media by a reporter from a local radio station. Unsurprisingly, things might not be what they seem.

Moroe’s attempt to get back to his desk would have looked more sincere and less like a cheap stunt had he made it online, where the rest of CSA’s staff have been working under lockdown. So why, considering he is still being paid his monthly salary of USD20,600, did he pitch up in person if not to stage a public performance?

Efforts to reach Moroe were fruitless, but a source with knowledge of the situation told Fame Dubai: “The board have dropped the ball on this, but if I were him I’d sit at home and count my money. He’s arrogant, and this is a middle finger to the board. He’s saying, ‘You had your chance, now reinstate me’. But it’s not as if they don’t have anything on him.”

Whether Moroe is guilty of misusing his company credit card, as has been alleged, is not yet proven. But it is true that he struggled to sell the broadcast rights and secure major sponsors for the Mzansi Super League (MSL). And that the accreditation of five senior cricket journalists, who had reported critically on him, was temporarily revoked. He personally apologised to the reporters but by then the damage had been done.

“The fact that there was no bank gaurantee for the MSL and the repercussions of the debacle over the journalists – sponsors walked away, board members resigned, and there were calls for the others to resign – are enough to get rid of him,” the source said. “They don’t even need to look at his credit card records.”

CSA’s board met later on Thursday. Fifteen hours after Moroe’s knock at their door, they issued a release that appeared to call his bluff: “The letter of suspension issued to the chief executive officer explicitly stated that he was suspended until the conclusion of the independent forensic investigation. This investigation is not yet complete and therefore the chief executive officer remains suspended and any assertion that his suspension was for a pre-determined period is without basis. The forensic investigators have indicated that their report is imminent.

“Once the board receives the report, the board will study the report and if disciplinary action against the chief executive officer (or anyone else) [sic] is required to be taken, the board will move swiftly to institute such disciplinary action so that the matter will be resolved as soon as possible.

“This remains a matter of utmost concern to the board. The board wishes to assure all stakeholders and the public that this matter is receiving all the attention it deserves. However, the board is also at pains to ensure that due process is followed at all times.

“The board is confident that the investigation is coming to a head and there will be more clarity and certainty provided before the end of June.”

The halting legalise of the statement suggests that, six months into the saga, which followed 18 months of Moroe’s mayhem management, the board are at last taking the issue more seriously. Or trying to be seen to be taking the issue more seriously. Either way, there would seem to be some “clarity and certainty” were little existed before. Even so, the case against Moroe can only be regarded as having taken a knock. Is that an accident?

Moroe has powerful allies within CSA at operational and board level who could be delaying justice, at least until the annual meeting scheduled for September 5, where Chris Nenzani’s tenure as president is set to end. And all the while Moroe would keep drawing his salary.

Another well-connected source posited a different theory: “Moroe could be hoping for a judge to rule, on a technicality, in his favour and he is ordered to go back to CSA. Then he negotiates a settlement payout to leave, which would be the remainder of his contract. The forensic report into Moroe’s activities could find that the board are complicit in his wrongdoing. So he could be trying to force them into a financial settlement on condition that the details of the report are not revealed.”

There are 25 months left to run on Moroe’s contract. At USD20,600 a month that amounts to USD515,000 – more than enough to drive up to a gate you know will be locked and, mask or no mask, have your picture taken.