Naidoo, Govender join new voices on CSA board

THE KwaZulu-Natal Cricket Union (KZNCU) president Daniel Govender and Lawson Naidoo are among those who have been named to the new Cricket South Africa (CSA) board following the annual general meeting held last week.

Govender, a veteran uThongathi cricket administrator, has been the KZNCU president since Ben Dladla’s death in December 2020. He was elected as a non-independent director on the CSA board.

Govender will aim to help clean up the administration of the game and restore the image of the CSA board which has been plagued by controversies and bad governance in recent years.

Said Govender: “I am honoured to be entrusted by my peers, especially the KZN Cricket Union, including management committee and office bearers. I am excited for the opportunity to bring value to cricket in South Africa. I think the board will prioritise restoring the public image of Cricket South Africa and sport in the country, particularly in the areas of governance, ethics and human resources.”

Prior to his election as president of KZNCU, the Umzinto-born Govender served as vice-president under Dladla. He was also the president of the Tongaat Cricket Union for almost 12 years, while serving on the KZN Council and the management committee of the KZNCU.

“I have gained insight into many aspects of the game from development to professional cricket to administration and governance. KZN is very diverse and vast which gives rise to unique challenges that require innovative solutions. This innovation, I believe, will add value to cricket in the country,” said Govender, who is also a senior academic at the Regent Business School.

Cape Town-based Naidoo boasts more than 30 years of experience working in the political, parliamentary, business and civil society sectors and was elected as chair of CSA’s audit, governance and risk committee.

Naidoo understands that a lot of hard work lies ahead.

“South African cricket has been in the doldrums for some time with the best interests of the game being relegated by those with responsibility. I see this as an opportunity to be part of a new leadership at CSA that can restore public confidence in its administration and governance. There are challenges that face us to strengthen the foundations of the game that so many South Africans love, so that we can focus again on success on the field for women and men that play the game,” he said.

Born and raised in Durban, Naidoo spent his formative years in the Casbah area (Beatrice Street) and later Mobeni Heights, before moving to the UK at the age of 12.

He has been based in Cape Town since 1994 and has been a long-term lover of cricket, growing up watching games at the Old Kingsmead.

He believes that spending the last 10 years leading the Council for the Advancement of the SA Constitution will help him to confront the challenges that need overcoming in order for domestic cricket to be repaired.

“Sport is for public good and should behave like any public body in the spirit of our constitutional values and principles. Once we do that, we will restore public confidence and put the players at ease, attracting sponsors back into the game.

“Transformation needs to be more than just the numbers of black players on the field of play – that is the end product of transformation. We need to orchestrate an organisational cultural shift that respects our diversity across all aspects of the sport. In this regard, sport can be a leader of society because all of our society needs to change,” he said.