Latest news with #CeciliaMolokwane
The Herald
3 days ago
- General
- The Herald
World Netball says suspended Molokwane ‘has case to answer': Sascoc boss
World Netball has found suspended Netball South Africa (NSA) president Cecilia Molokwane has a case to answer and will face a disciplinary hearing in the coming weeks, SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc) president Barry Hendricks said on Thursday. But he added he did not know the charges against the controversial sports boss. 'World Netball came back to us recently to say that there was a case to answer and they're now busy with the disciplinary hearing,' Hendricks told journalists in Johannesburg. The world governing body had indicated to him that the process should be completed around mid-July. Asked if he knew the charges against Molokwane, he replied: 'No, they've kept that between themselves and Ms Molokwane.' Molokwane, who was suspended last month after allegedly refusing to step down provisionally while facing investigation, has maintained her innocence, alleging claims had been made by 'anonymous individuals' wanting to ruin her reputation.
eNCA
02-05-2025
- Politics
- eNCA
Netball SA's reputation takes a knock
CAPE TOWN - Netball South Africa is breaking its silence. From the shock suspension of President Cecilia Molokwane, a tense grilling by MPs in Parliament, to the fallout still lingering from the 2023 Netball World Cup. There is no doubt that the federation is under pressure. When reputation takes a knock, so does financial support from sponsors. The development of the sport could be at risk. So far there's still no clear timeline how long the President's suspension will last. For now, Netball SA is going through hoops, to ensure this painful chapter closes sooner rather than later.
IOL News
28-04-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
Netball SA boss Cecilia Molokwane's suspension by World Netball raises questions over leadership bid
Cecilia Molokwane Cecilia Molokwane, the president of Netball SA, has been suspended by World Netball. Photo: ARMAND HOUGH Independent Media Image: ARMAND HOUGH Independent Media World Netball has suspended Cecilia Molokwane, the president of Netball South Africa (NSA) and Africa Netball, and a World Netball director, casting doubts on her bid for a third term as NSA leader. The reasons remain unclear, with talks said to be ongoing. The sport's world governing body has yet to disclose the specific charges, sending the rumour mill into overdrive in the netball community around the possible reasons for her suspension. Molokwane has been a prominent figure in South African netball since she first took over the NSA presidency in 2017. Over her two terms, she has been credited with propelling the Proteas to impressive finishes in recent Netball World Cups, and for hosting Africa's successful maiden World Cup tournament in Cape Town in 2023. She has listed hosting the showpiece as a highlight of her netball journey, as well as expanding the profile and reach of netball in the country. Molokwane has also been credited with securing top opposition for the national netball team, in their bid to crack the podium places at major international tournaments. Recent news of a Test series against New Zealand later this year followed earlier clashes against Jamaica and England. All three teams are ranked higher than the Proteas. At the recent launch of the 2025 Telkom National Netball League in Johannesburg, Molokwane declared her intention to run for a third term as NSA president in the elections later this year. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ However, Netball South Africa are saying that they have not been made aware of the specific allegations against their leader. 'Netball South Africa (NSA) acknowledges the correspondence received from World Netball concerning our president, Cecilia Molokwane,' they said in a statement. 'We are currently in discussions with World Netball regarding this matter. "As an organisation, NSA is dedicated to maintaining the highest standards of governance, integrity, and transparency. We are committed to ensuring a fair and thorough process throughout this situation. 'In line with World Netball's guidelines, we will refrain from engaging in discussions about ongoing internal matters.' They have called for patience while the process unfolds.
The Citizen
26-04-2025
- Politics
- The Citizen
OPINION: Sport federations must learn to stand up against parliament
Some of the questions directed at the Netball SA leadership this week were valid, but others were ridiculous. If parliament is a circus, its portfolio committee on sport, arts and culture is a modern day Colosseum. One difference, however, between battles held in ancient Rome and those being held in Cape Town is that the people who were forced to fight in the Colosseum made an effort to hit back. Watching Netball South Africa being grilled by the parliamentary committee this week was like watching school kids being scolded by teachers. Some of the issues raised by the portfolio committee were valid, most notably the delays in releasing audited financial statements (which government deservedly wanted to see after providing R90 million in funding for the 2023 Netball World Cup) and the recent suspension of Netball SA president Cecilia Molokwane by World Netball. However, some of the questions asked were completely ridiculous, and the NSA leadership seemed terrified to stand up for themselves, which they had every right to do. Proteas coach They were dragged over the coals for appointing Jenny van Dyk as the Proteas head coach last year ahead of black coaches who applied for the post. Anyone who understands netball in this country will be aware that Van Dyk was the best person for the job, having proved herself across multiple levels of the sport for the last decade. When they were interrupted in their responses, the NSA leadership shut down and looked ready to accept the criticism, rather than hitting back at the politicians on the other side of the room who clearly know next to nothing about the sport. When answering questions about financial statements, NSA should have been able to provide more details about expenditure, but even when they did, they got shot down, and they buckled too quickly. It is of course important that the people running sports federations are able to account for expenditure, but aside from the World Cup, netball relies far more on corporate sponsors for its funding than it does on the government. Showboating and grandstanding It is good that the committee exposed some problems with NSA's corporate governance, but let's be honest, politicians of all people have very little right to be criticising others for wasteful expenditure. An independent panel of individuals who understand both administration and operations in sport would be far better suited to do the grilling. The arrogance and showboating of some of the members of the portfolio committee indicates that they're more interested in grandstanding for the public watching the live stream than they are in actually getting to the bottom of real issues. And that's fine. It's parliament. What else can we expect? But when sports federations appear in front of members of parliament and they're asked ridiculous questions that don't even make sense, it would at least be more entertaining if they fought back. Even in ancient Rome, prisoners forced into battle made an attempt to defend themselves. Sports administrators need to do the same.
Daily Maverick
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Daily Maverick
Parliament roasts Sascoc as administrative issues plague SA sport
The parliamentary sport committee believes that the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee needs to be more proactive amid persistent administrative issues within federations. The parliamentary committee on sport, arts and culture has called on the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc) to improve how it manages the federations under its jurisdiction. The committee was highly critical of the umbrella body of South African sport. From the beleaguered Swimming South Africa to the South African Football Association (whose president stands charged with using the federation's funds for his own benefit), the country's sporting bodies regularly overshadow the achievements of athletes on the field through boardroom politics and maladministration. Netball South Africa (NSA) is the latest organisation to take the floor for a dance of shame after the organisation's president Cecilia Molokwane was suspended by World Netball last week. Sascoc president Barry Hendricks made an appearance in Parliament on Tuesday, 22 April. He appeared alongside the NSA's hierarchy, minus Molokwane. The NSA president is barred from participating in any netball duties until World Netball has concluded an investigation into her. Sleeping on the job Sport committee members admonished Hendricks for the constant spotlight on South African sports entities for negative reasons. As the NSA staff was put into a pressure-cooker and struggled to answer questions, heads turned to Hendricks in disappointment. 'Sascoc is sleeping on the job. Because you can hear even from the responses of the Sascoc president. He doesn't know. He's not ashamed to say he doesn't know. Yet [Sascoc] is the governing body that looks after these federations,' said committee member Eugene Mthethwa. Mthethwa's assertions were echoed by fellow committee member Matsholo Mmolotsane. 'All our sports entities are dying under Sascoc. The president cannot come here and boast about Sascoc having 85 federations. How many of those federations are well-oiled machines? It's not even 50%. You might find that it's only 5%,' Mmolotsane said. 'Why do we have Sascoc? If the head is not functioning well, the body will collapse,' she said. 'It can't be right. It's so disappointing that every time these entities come here, they have problems. And we keep on pumping money to those entities.' Sascoc says… Hendricks, though, said the criticism of Sascoc was unfair. It could not interfere in the daily operations of federations, which had their own constitutions and internal processes. He rightfully pointed out that since his election in 2020 (and re-election last year), Sascoc had navigated itself out of financially stormy waters. This was a shrewd diversion from answering the question on Sascoc's role in South African sport. 'It happens every week. Something is going on that's negative in sports. It does get depressing, especially because you've just turned your organisation around and your organisation is not really at fault, in terms of its operations,' Hendricks said. 'It becomes really embarrassing and confusing when your major sports find themselves in positions like this. It's mainly about bad leadership and bad governance,' the Sascoc president said. When he was asked why it took World Netball to act on the allegations against Molokwane, when she has regularly been accused of maladministration in recent years, Hendricks said: 'The reason is no one sent us anything. There were no whistle-blower requests to Sascoc to take any action. It's very difficult for an organisation to get involved without any firm evidence. Obviously, somebody has sent information to World Netball.' NSA's Molokwane speaks Molokwane, meanwhile, has vowed to clear her name. In an email read to Parliament to explain her absence, Molokwane said she believed she had no case to answer to. 'World Netball has yet to determine whether I have a case to answer, nor have I been formally charged with any misconduct,' Molokwane said. 'I vehemently deny having conducted myself in contravention of World Netball's disciplinary code and will vigorously defend any allegations which may subsequently be levelled against me,' the suspended NSA president said. 'I firmly believe in the importance of due process and the right to a fair hearing. All I ask is for the opportunity to present my side of the story and to defend myself against allegations that have been made by anonymous individuals,' said Molokwane. 'Whistle-blowing should serve the purpose of accountability and transparency, not to be a tool for faceless accusations that risk damaging reputations without proper scrutiny,' she said. Molokwane is bidding for a third term as NSA president after first being elected in 2017. Her suspension has slowed the momentum of this ambition, while the floundering display of the rest of the NSA hierarchy in Parliament paints a grim picture, from a leadership perspective. 'I hope when the term of this leadership ends, we will find a new broom that will sweep cleaner. Because this one is tired,' Mmolotsane said of NSA's leaders. DM
