Current South Africa head coach Mark Boucher faces a disciplinary hearing from Cricket South Africa on charges of serious misconduct next month; Boucher has been accused of racism by his former teammate Paul Adams and neglecting his former assistant coach Enoch Nkwe; he denies both accusations
Graeme Smith’s tenure as South Africa’s director of cricket ended at the end of last month
Former South African cricket chief Graeme Smith has been cleared of racism allegations by two independent umpires, the country’s cricket board (CSA) said on Sunday.
Smith and current head coach Mark Boucher were among a number of CSA employees implicated in “tentative findings” made by the Ombudsman for Social Justice and Nation Building last year about alleged discrimination within the sport’s national governing organization in the past.
Boucher has been accused of racism by his former teammate Paul Adams and of sidelining his former assistant coach Enoch Nkwe. He denies both allegations and will face a CSA disciplinary hearing on serious misconduct charges next month.
The panel concluded that there was no evidence that Smith, also a former national team captain, racially discriminated against former player Thami Tsolekile between 2012 and 2014, or that he was biased against black leadership in the CSA.
He added that there was no merit to the allegation that Smith favored Boucher over Nkwe during the 2019 head coaching selection process.
“The manner in which these issues have been addressed…confirms CSA’s commitment to addressing SJN issues in a manner that treats them most seriously but also ensures fairness, due process and finality,” he said. Lawson Naidoo, Chairman of the CSA Board.
“Now that these proceedings have been concluded, it is appropriate to acknowledge the extraordinary contribution Graeme has made to South African cricket.”
Smith, 41,’s tenure as director of cricket ended at the end of last month.
