Press petard used to hang judge Yacoob

“I do not respect you and I think I will not respond to your idiocy.” - Zak Yacoob to a reporter.

Telford Vice | Cape Town

CSA’s recalcitrant members council is rid of the unafraid, questioning, bothersome Zak Yacoob, who was appointed to chair the organisation’s interim board in November. And the press has been used to hang him.

Yacoob, a former constitutional court judge, has resigned from the board in the wake of the publication of an audio recording of an interview he gave to a South African reporter, Tiisetso Malepa, on Thursday. In the file of more than 38 minutes, Yacoob repeatedly berates and insults Malepa, calling him “a dishonest, irresponsible idiot” and “a rogue and dirty journalist”. In answer to a question, Yacoob railed: “Where do you get that bullshit from? Where do you get your idiotic notions from? I do not respect you and I think I will not respond to your idiocy. You may print that in your newspaper if you so wish.” The Sunday Times duly did.

Cricbuzz knows of at least one other reporter who has been the victim of Yacoob’s verbal abuse. He stands similarly accused by Kugandrie Govender, who was suspended as CSA acting chief executive under Yacoob’s watch.

A CSA release on Wednesday described the incident as “deeply regrettable” and said the board had “accepted judge Yacoob’s sincere expression of remorse”. It continued with: “In the circumstances judge Yacoob has stepped down from the board of CSA. He has done so to protect the integrity of the board and in the best interests of cricket.” Yacoob was praised for his “energetic leadership and principled stewardship of cricket over the past three months”. It was noted that “much has been achieved in terms of dealing with complex corporate governance matters even in this short period”.

A release from the sports ministry, under whose guidance the interim board was formed in the wake of the pressured resignation of the dysfunctional elected board, quoted minister Nathi Mthethwa as saying: “This decision was made out of an abundance of caution to safeguard the tremendous work done by the interim board, under [Yacoob’s] stewardship.”

Cricbuzz understands that push might have came to shove for Yacoob because the members council decided to ask him to explain why he shouldn’t be suspended for his tirade because, in the council’s view, he had brought CSA into disrepute. But Judith February, an interim board member, said news of that plan had not reached Yacoob: “Perhaps they took a resolution, perhaps they intended that, but Zak was not in receipt of anything from the members council asking him to step down. It certainly wasn’t because of pressure from them that he resigned. There was a mutual agreement between him and the minister that he should go and there was also concern expressed on our board about the recording.”

Constitutionally the members council is CSA’s highest authority. But it is comprised of the leaders of provincial affiliates who have presided over the organisation’s many financial and governance failings — which have befallen the game while some of those provincial administrators have sat on the board while also serving on the council.

The interim board is in the process of dragging the members council to the point where it agrees to an elected board comprised mostly of independent directors, not provincial presidents as is currently the case. And to accept that the board should have authority over the members council. That task now falls to Stavros Nicolaou, a pharmaceutical expert and activist who is working with government to procure drugs and equipment in South Africa’s fight against Covid-19. Nicolaou is also an interim board member, and has been appointed chair.

“While the minister still awaits a formal update on progress made by the interim board he remains optimistic that the final report will contribute positively to the process of reforming South African cricket,” the ministry’s release said. “He also hopes that the recommendations made will enable CSA to convene their delayed annual meeting, where a new board will be appointed.” The interim board’s term is set to expire on February 15.

First published by Cricbuzz.