On Tuesday, Cricket South Africa drop all charges against head coach Mark Boucher.
On Tuesday, the board of Cricket South Africa (CSA) Cricket South Africa drop all charges against head coach Mark Boucher and that none of the disciplinary accusations, including racism claims, against Mark Boucher, the coach of the Proteas Men’s cricket team, have any merit. As a result, the CSA Board has publicly and unequivocally withdrawn all allegations.
Several complaints have been levelled against Boucher, which comes after former national spinner Paul Adams accused the Proteas head coach of being involved in a racial incident while the two were colleagues, stating that the former wicket-keeper was part of a group that called him a “brown sh*t.”
The CSA Board received the report from Adv Dumisa Ntsebeza SC, the independent Social Justice and Nation-Building (SJN) Ombudsman, in December 2021. Mr Boucher was the subject of negative “tentative findings” in that report, but because the Ombudsman indicated that he was not in a position to make “definite conclusions,” he advised that other formal processes be followed to bring these problems to a conclusion.
The CSA Board decided to begin formal proceedings in accordance with the recommendations of the SJN Report, giving all parties, including Mr Boucher, the opportunity to reply to the allegations and fully outline their position. External attorneys informed CSA that a formal disciplinary hearing would be the best course of action in Mr Boucher’s case.
The charge sheet against Mr Boucher eventually included the SJN Ombudsman’s provisional finding against him, as well as allegations raised by CSA’s own internal investigation following the resignation of Proteas assistant coach Mr Enoch Nkwe. The disciplinary inquiry’s Chairperson has been named: Advocate Terry Motau SC, a well-respected senior counsel. Adv Motau SC concluded that the disciplinary hearing would begin on May 16, 2022, after consulting with Mr Boucher’s legal team and considering the Proteas itinerary.
The Board of Directors of the Cricket South Africa drop all charges against head coach Mark Boucher and has now decided to formally dismiss all of Mr Boucher’s disciplinary allegations. This covers allegations stemming from the SJN report as well as charges stemming from Mr Nkwe’s resignation investigation. The CSA made this conclusion after considering the following factors:
- Mr Adams said lately that he would not be testifying against Mr Boucher during the disciplinary hearing. Mr Adams claimed that his concerns expressed during the SJN process were concerning the broader “culture” of the Proteas team during the early 2000s, rather than any specific individual.
- Mr Boucher formally apologised to Mr Adams during the SJN procedure. Mr Adams told CSA’s lawyers after the SJN procedure that he accepted the apology.
- During the disciplinary hearing, Mr Nkwe decided that he, too, did not want to testify against Mr Boucher. Mr Nkwe openly declared that he did not want to take sides in the Mr Boucher case, and that “whatever happens in that process, I hope the outcome is the best for the game.”
- Over the last month, CSA’s lawyers met with a number of other potential witnesses and found that none of the three charges were viable.
- The recent decision in the Graeme Smith arbitration by Advocates Hamilton Maenetje SC and Michael Bishop strengthened the view that the accusations against Mr Boucher would be rejected.
CSA found that none of the charges against Mr Boucher could be sustained after considering all of the above, as well as the advice of its outside lawyers. As a result, Cricket South Africa drop all charges against head coach Mark Boucher and agreed to cover his legal fees.
“CSA has at all times been committed to dealing with the SJN issues in a manner that treats them with utmost seriousness but also ensures fairness, due process and finality. The decision to withdraw the charges brings about finality on these issues for CSA and Mark and allows the focus to return to the cricket field where we trust that Mark and the Proteas will go from strength to strength.”
Lawson Naidoo, Chair of the CSA Board
After Cricket South Africa drop all charges against head coach Mark Boucher, both Mr Boucher and the CSA have addressed the next steps and committed to an open communication and interaction in order to promote South African cricket’s best interests and fulfil the CSA’s strategic goals of access, inclusion, and quality. “We underline that Mark Boucher, Paul Adams, and Enoch Nkwe are all valuable members of the CSA coaching fraternity,” Mr Moseki said.
The news of Cricket South Africa drop all charges against head coach Mark Boucher comes as relief to his fans across the world.