OUT! Cricket SA sacks Clive Eksteen as heads begin to roll

Clive Eksteen, the former head of sales and sponsor relations at Cricket South Africa (CSA), had his employment terminated with immediate effect on Sunday 14 June following a lengthy disciplinary dispute.

In an unusually strongly-worded statement, CSA claimed its decision to terminate Eksteen’s employment was over a “transgression of a serious nature,” although it did not elaborate further.

Eksteen, a former Proteas spin bowler, has maintained his silence over allegations that he failed in his duties when commercial rights fees owing to players for their part in the Mzansi Super League (MSL) went unpaid last year.

At the time, tensions were heightened at CSA under the leadership of the now-suspended chief executive Thabang Moroe. He is also facing disciplinary action over issues of poor corporate governance that among other things, led the organisation into a court case with the South African Cricketers Association (Saca).

Saca recently dropped court action against CSA following Moroe’s decision to restructure the domestic game in late 2018 without consulting Saca. That decision was reversed following the recommendations of a steering committee review chaired by former International Cricket Council chairman Dave Richardson.

“The presiding officer found Mr Eksteen guilty of transgressions of a serious nature and his relationship and employment with CSA has therefore been summarily terminated (summary dismissal) with immediate effect,” a CSA statement on Sunday read.

When approached by Daily Maverick for comment, Eksteen said that he was consulting with his lawyers on Monday and was not in a position to comment at this stage.

In October 2019, Eksteen along with then interim director of cricket Corrie van Zyl and chief operating officer Naasei Appiah, were suspended on Moroe’s watch. Van Zyl was cleared and has returned to work while Appiah and Eksteen both lost their initial cases and appealed. Appiah’s appeal is still ongoing.

In a tumultuous few weeks at the end of 2019, Moroe’s tenure, which was characterised by growing financial losses and unilateral decisions, ended in his suspension pending a forensic investigation into CSA’s affairs.

The current forensic audit into CSA’s affairs, which includes a projected R654-million loss by 2022 when the existing international broadcast cycle ends, has been ongoing for more than six months and not been finalised.