Suspended Cricket SA CEO Moroe accuses president Nenzani, Faul of misleading parliament

Suspended Cricket South Africa (CSA) chief executive officer Thabang Moroe has accused president Chris Nenzani and acting CEO Dr Jacques Faul of allegedly misleading Parliament during a presentation to the portfolio committee on sport‚ Arts and Culture last week.

Vice-president Beresford Williams was also part of the CSA delegation that presented an annual performance report and a turn-around strategy on Friday.

In a letter addressed to the chairperson Beauty Dlulani on Tuesday that TimesLIVE has seen‚ Moroe details how the CSA delegation allegedly misrepresented the truth when it told the committee that “investigations relating to Moroe have been completed”.

The CSA delegation‚ among others‚ also told the committee “the forensic auditors were not able to consult with Moroe regardless of various attempts to do so”.

The CSA delegation said the first part of the investigation report on Moroe would have been released by last week.

CSA head of communications Thamie Mthembu and executive consultant Michael Owen-Smith on Wednesday did not respond to emailed questions to confirm if the first part of the investigation report is available or not.

Acting on behalf of Moroe‚ Sharlyn Geza of Motsoeneng Bill Attorneys (MBA) wrote to the committee and said CSA’s assertion that the forensic investigation into the suspended CEO is complete was “disingenuous”.

Geza said that as far as her client is concerned the forensic investigation is still “ongoing”.

Geza details how the CSA forensic investigators continue to exchange correspondence with her client despite the governing body’s claim that the investigation is complete.

She revealed in her letter that the last communication between Moroe and Fundudzi Forensic Services investigators was as recent as Tuesday this week – four days after Nenzani told Parliament that “investigations relating to Moroe have been completed”.

“CSA’s attempt to present Mr Moroe as being uncooperative is false.

“As far as Mr Moroe is aware and based on the correspondence exchanged by our office and Mr Moroe with CSA and the forensic investigators‚ the forensic investigation into allegations of impropriety on the part of Mr Moroe is still ongoing.

“There has been no communication to our client by the forensic investigators to the effect that they no longer intend on consulting with Mr Moroe‚” writes Geza.

“Assuming the forensic investigation into allegations of impropriety on the part of Mr Moroe has been completed‚ which we submit it has not‚ CSA would have to explain why it has unscrupulously continued to exchange correspondence with our office‚ with the most recent correspondence having been sent on the eve of 22 June 2020.”

Moroe was suspended by phone by president Nenzani on December 5.

CSA confirmed in Parliament during their presentation that the forensic auditors were only appointed on March 6 - three months after Moroe was suspended.

May 6 – forensic investigators contact Moroe for the first time

TimesLIVE can confirm that despite the forensic investigators having been appointed on March 6‚ they first communicated with Moroe on May 6 requesting him via email his availability for a consultation.

TimesLIVE can also confirm that CSA company secretary Welsh Gwaza met with Moroe at a restaurant in Rosebank on Tuesday this week – four days after the presentation in Parliament – to provide the suspended CEO with more documentation to prepare for the forensic investigators.

Moroe responded to the first communication from the forensic investigators and requested a list of discussion points to enable him to prepare for the proposed consultation in an email correspondence seen by TimesLIVE.

The investigators furnished Moroe with a fifteen-point list of discussion points.

Following receipt of discussion points Moroe then requested certain documents from CSA and received them on May 15.

Moroe then wrote back to CSA on May 31 to advise them that the documents were not complete as a number of board meetings and recordings were outstanding.

While Moroe was awaiting a response from CSA regarding his request for more documents‚ a day later the forensic investigators emailed him to schedule a meeting despite the outstanding documents.

Geza responded to the forensic investigators on behalf of Moroe on June 4 and committed to a meeting on June 9.

But Moroe had to cancel the June 9 meeting because he had not received the outstanding documents he requested from CSA. Moroe then said CSA and the forensic investigators' failure to receive the outstanding documents left him hamstrung in that he could not revert back to the investigators by June 9 as previously agreed.

June 12

CSA sends credit card statements to Moroe for a period 2017 to 2019. Moroe confirms receipt on June 15 – three days before the presentation in Parliament – and ask for the outstanding documents while copying the forensic investigators in the email.

June 16 – three days before presentation in Parliament

CSA writes to Moroe to request him to hand back an external hard drive they furnished him with on May 15 in order to provide the suspended CEO with more documentation.

June 18 – a day before presentation in Parliament

CSA writes to Moroe on June 18 and instructs him to meet Gwaza in Rosebank on Tuesday June 22 to hand over the hard drive. Gwaza was to take the hard drive back to CSA so that it can load information it deems necessary and hand it over to Moroe again so that the suspended CEO can prepare his defence.

“As at the time of sending this letter‚ our office has been made to understand that CSA is still considering information installed in an external hard drive it presumably received on 21 June 2020.

“Further that‚ Mr Moroe will be contacted in order to make arrangements for the collection of an external hard drive with documents and information he requested loaded therein‚” writes Geza.

“Based on the above‚ it is patently clear that our client did not at any point frustrate the finalisation of the forensic investigation. The statement (that the forensic auditors were not able to consult with Moroe regardless of various attempts to do so) is covertly disingenuous on the part of CSA.

“From the correspondence exchanged with CSA and the forensic investigators‚ it is clear that the forensic investigation into allegations of impropriety against Mr Moroe is ongoing.

“It would also be interesting to see if the final forensic investigation report makes mention of the correspondence exchange with CSA‚ the forensic investigators‚ our office and Mr Moroe as alluded to above‚ particularly in so far as it relates to the allegation that our client has been uncooperative with the forensic investigators.

“With that said‚ it is our client’s request that the Portfolio Committee engage with CSA with a view to address the issues we raise herein on behalf of Mr Moroe as it is important that the Portfolio Committee is at all times vested with the true state of affairs pertaining to CSA.

Committee secretary Zoleka Kula confirmed to TimesLIVE on Wednesday that the chairperson has received the letter.

“The committee will consider the letter once it has received a report from CSA through the Department of Sport‚ Arts and Culture‚” said Kula.

Ernest Nekhavhambe‚ one of the investigators at Fundudzi Forensic Services‚ refused to comment when asked if the forensic investigation into Moroe is complete or not.

“We unfortunately are not able to comment on any of the issues raised in your email. Kindly contact CSA for comments‚” said Nekhavhambe in an emailed response.

Geza said the delay in finalisation of the forensic investigation lies solely at th doorstep of CSA.

“CSA is the sole cause of Mr Moroe being hamstrung in engaging with the forensic investigators regarding a proposed consultation as CSA has not been forthcoming with providing Mr Moroe with the documents and/or information he requires.”