CSA appoints Beresford Williams as acting president after Chris Nenzani's resignation

Cricket South Africa (CSA) has appointed Beresford Williams as acting president of the board following the resignation of Chris Nenzani on Saturday, with a more long-term appointment expected when the board's annual general meeting is conducted on September 5.

The decision came a day after Dr Jacques Faul resigned as acting CEO of the board, not long after the organisation revealed that Nenzani had stepped down from his position over the weekend and COO Naasei Appiah had been fired. Faul, who was seconded from the Titans in December 2019, was due to return to his role with the franchise on September 15, but opted to leave his post four weeks early.

While Faul was not available for comment on Monday evening, Cricday understands that he chose to leave his post following a heated board meeting in which his position became untenable. An acting CEO is expected to be named imminently, with Appiah, who is fighting his dismissal in court, making himself "available" on a radio show minutes after news of Faul's resignation was made public. Company secretary Welsh Gwaza, who was at the board meeting and was unable to divulge any information, is one of the names being mentioned for the acting role.

In a statement, CSA said: "Dr Faul has put in place a detail transitional plan that will ensure the organisation makes a seamless transition to a new Acting CEO, that the Board will advise on shortly. The Board is for ever grateful for the outstanding commitment and leadership that Dr Faul has made and continues to make to CSA and the game of cricket."

Nenzani stepped down three weeks before his term was due to end, following increasing pressure in the face of administrative upheaval.

A CSA statement, issued on Monday morning, gave no reason for Nenzani's exit, and thanked him for his time in office. "Mr Nenzani has provided valuable leadership, insight, assistance and direction in advancing the game of cricket with a focus on achieving transformation and access for the majority of the South African population," the statement read.

Not everyone feels that's enough, though. "Given what has happened over the last nine months, the president owes stakeholders an explanation for why he is stepping down now," Andrew Breetzke, SACA CEO, told Cricday.

Nenzani had been in the position since 2013 and served two three-year terms, the second of which was extended through a change in CSA's constitution in 2019. That gave Nenzani an additional 12 months, to see CSA through a difficult period. But he has since said he regretted staying on.