Cricket SA hearings: Thabang Moroe, former CEO of CSA, returns to Ottis Gibson’s coaching session

• Thabang Moroe, former CEO of Cricket South Africa, said the CSA board was involved in the betrayal of qualified black coaches such as Geoffrey Toyana and Paul Adams.
• Moroe served as vice president of the CSA prior to her colorful tenure as CEO of the organization.
• Moroe said the government threw him deep into the appointment of Ottis Gibson as national head coach.

Thabang Moroe, former CEO of Cricket South Africa, claimed on Wednesday that the CSA board he worked with betrayed local black coaches such as Geoffrey Toyana and Paul Adams when Ottis Gibson was appointed as the men’s national team coach in 2017.

Gibson, a former West Indian multi-talented player who played first-class cricket in South Africa, replaced Russell Domingo in 2017 and led South Africa’s worst-ever cricket World Cup performance in England two years ago.

Moroe, who testified under oath at CSA Cricket for Social Justice on Tuesday, said the government had killed Toyana and Adams ’careers in Gibson’s appointment.

Moroe, who served as vice president of the CSA before taking over as CEO in 2018, said the failure to appoint Toyana, despite being the best local candidate at the time, was a surprise.

Toyana was successful with Lions in 2012-2018 before moving north to north, Adams is now Border’s coach.

“At the board level, we talked about how Geoff was above his head because of all the performances,” Moroe said.

-When the chairman of the ad hoc committee said he preferred Ottis Gibson as the coach of the national team, it came as a surprise.

“We talked about the short period of time the coach was going to wait before the 2019 World Cup and how we wanted a coach who knows the players in our system, the environment and that he has to hit the ground.

“Choosing someone who didn’t even live in SA came as a surprise when we took into account the things listed.

-After announcing Otti, I asked what Toyana’s shortcomings were because we were all sure he would become the national team coach because it was all over the media.

“We were told they weren’t happy with his presentation and articulation skills, which we found to be worrying because we didn’t hire him to do the presentations.”

Moroe, who had a colorful tenure as CEO, led to his resignation in December 2019 and his resignation in August 2020 based on the findings of the Fundudzi Forensic Report to CSA matters, said former President Chris Nenzani and ad hoc director Norman Arendse, who supported the appointment of Gibson. .

Moroe said he also did not support the appointment of Dale Benkenstein as a batting coach, but Gibson settled with him along with Malibongwe Maketa as his assistant after Gibson’s favorite choice assistant option, which Moroe did not mention.

“To support Ottis’ choice as a coach, we then said that one Geoff or Paul should be his assistant, and the government will require Geoff as an assistant when Paul becomes a spin bowling coach, ”Moroe said.

“Then I was given the process of getting a coach on board, which was uncomfortable, but I did it and when we met Ottis, I told him about my role and what was going on with the coaching staff.

– Then he told us that he was hired to win the World Championships and he needed leeway to choose his own staff that he believed in and we agreed.

“I wasn’t happy with Dale Benkenstein for lack of qualifications. I picked it up with Ottis and took it to the board, and the board supported me.”

Moroe said she always felt that there was a third force that seemed to sabotage her because of her positive change.

“In early 2019, I was called by one national team player who asked if I was in Port Elizabeth, and they wanted me to meet me in private,” Moroe said.

“If you were a player / administrator and you were seen with me, you were expected in the corner of Thabang. The players were afraid to be seen in public or meet me in the office. When they were seen with me, they got a call from the elderly asking what they were doing with me.

“It was because I was vocal about the change and I acted on the decisions made, so it was afraid of change.”