CSA president Nyoka fails no-confidence vote

Cricket South Africa's (CSA) board has passed a vote of no-confidence in president Mtutuzeli Nyoka at a special general meeting on Saturday. The motion was not unanimous but was passed by a majority vote and Nyoka was removed with immediate effect.

Nyoka's ousting is the culmination of an ongoing spat between him and chief executive Gerald Majola, which reached its peak during the bonus scandal. Nyoka was in favour of an external inquiry into the R4.7 million (US$ 671,428) that was paid out to Majola and 39 other CSA staff members after IPL 2 and the Champions Trophy in 2009.

CSA initially announced that they would have an external commission evaluate the situation but then moved the investigation internally in order to exhaust its own procedures first. Majola was cleared of all charges of wrongdoing by the internal commission, although it did recognise that he had made an error of judgement, and Nyoka said he accepted the findings.

That spat was believed to have caused a "general breakdown" in the relationship between Nyoka and Majola, according to an insider, who also said that it became apparent that there was "only room for one of them" in CSA. Two months after the findings of the internal commission were made public. Nyoka was served with written notification of a motion of no-confidence proposed against him that was signed by all 11 CSA affiliate presidents.

Four days after Nyoka received the letter, South Africa's sports minister Fikile Mbalula intervened in the conflict, because the ministry felt it may negatively impact the country's World Cup campaign. The minister met with the CSA board sans Nyoka, who was unavailable, and reassured the public that the cricket fraternity was not in crisis and the ministry would meet with the board again on February 12, to receive a report on the commission inquiry and the actions of Nyoka.

That meeting took place today, again with Nyoka an absent party. He chose not to attend on the advice of his lawyers. The motion of no confidence was passed by the board, with an insider confirming that the split was "more than 8-3."

Nyoka is the second successive CSA president to leave office in this fashion. Norman Arendse, his predecessor, also had a motion of no-confidence tabled against him before he resigned. Vice-president AK Khan will take over as acting President until the next election, which is scheduled for CSA's AGM in August.