Former Titans fast-bowler Ethy Mbhalati’s testimony before the hearings in July serves as representative. A loyal Titan for 14 seasons, the Phalaborwa-born player said in his testimony that the relationship between Saca and CSA was, in his view, a “sweetheart union”.
In an interview Irish confirmed that Saca had contributed about R150,000 to the legal costs of players’ implicated in the domestic match-fixing scandal. Leaf-Wright added that the CGL hadn’t sought outside legal advice, with its affidavit being written by its lead independent director, Ziyanda Ngcobo, and legal and governance sub-committee member Aslam Moosajee, both of them lawyers.
After that, the CSA board, which has watched all of this unfold with mounting alarm, will be forced to respond. Sensing that they are handling a political hot potato, the expedient course of action will be to throw a scapegoat to the wolves, with the most likely candidate here being Mark Boucher, the Proteas’ coach.