CSA delivers Fundudzi report to Parliament, advocates confidentiality

Beresford Williams

• Cricket SA sent an electronic copy of the Fundudzi report, fulfilling its promise made to the sports portfolio committee on Tuesday.
• The report arrived a few minutes before the closing of the activity.
• CSA reiterated that its content be withheld from the public as it may have an “adverse effect” on its plans to self-correct.

Cricket South Africa (CSA) he met his deadline to deliver the Fundudzi Forensic Services report to the parliament’s sports portfolio committee on Friday, following the promise made in Tuesday’s harsh appearance at the house.

A digital copy of the much-debated report, which had been withheld from parliament since its final delivery to the CSA board of directors on July 31, was sent to the chair of the sports portfolio committee Beauty Dlulane, with a special code granting access to its content.

Sport24 it also understands that other members of the parliamentary committee had also been granted access through an access code.

However, CSA reiterated that it was imperative that the report remain hidden from public view, as that would have an “adverse effect” on its efforts to address the litany of issues mentioned in the report, as well as open them to legal recriminations.

“CSA is confident that the parliamentary portfolio committee will respect the sensitivity of the forensic report,” said John Mogodi, non-independent director of CSA.

“It is important to reiterate that if the content of this document becomes public knowledge at this stage, it may have an adverse effect on the ongoing process initiated by CSA to address the issues identified in the report and to implement corrective measures.”

CSA issued a statement on Friday asking parliament for the content of the secret report:

As agreed with the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee (PPC) of Sport, Art and Culture on Tuesday, October 6, 2020, Cricket South Africa (CSA) confirms that the full Forensic Report was made available to the President of the PPC, today, Friday, October 9, 2020, for distribution to PPC members.. A copy of the complete Forensic Report has also been made available to the Minister of Sport, Art and Culture. [Nathi Mthethwa].

CSA has taken note of the public statement of the president of the PPC [Beauty Dlulane] in the sense that the PPC will sign a nondisclosure agreement with respect to the Forensic Report. As such, and in accordance with the recommendation of the corresponding Parliamentary Senior Legal Advisor, the CSA has requested the President of the PPC to pronounce himself in terms of the relevant provisions of the Regulations of the National Assembly, declaring that the Forensic Report is a confidential document.

As CSA has publicly stated on various occasions and public platforms, the content of the Forensic Report is confidential at this stage because it is an interim report, because some aspects of the report are subject to further investigation, and because the public dissemination of the report at this stage may affect the integrity of the investigation process and undermine CSA’s implementation of corrective actions. It is for these reasons that CSA, at this stage, has published a summary of the report to the media, recording the content of the provisional conclusions.

The representative of the district attorney on the sports portfolio committee, Tsepo Mhlongo, also issued this statement on Friday, in which he called the report “damning”, but they agreed to sign the clause of the NDA: