Barry Hendricks (Sascoc acting president), Gavin Crookes (Tennis South Africa president) and Mtambi Ravele (TSA board member) are all in limbo as they await the outcomes of disciplinary processes.
Recently, the fate of the trio (Hendricks, Crookes and Ravele) were decided after the arbitration initiated by Sascoc handed down its award. Hendricks and Crookes were cleared of wrongdoing, and Ravele’s complaint of a conspiracy was found to be unsubstantiated. The arbitration process was headed up by Alec Freund, who was the unanimous choice of the three parties at the outset.
However, with the arbitration done and dusted, it turns out that TSA and Sascoc have disciplinary processes in place involving the trio.
TSA have appointed a sub-committee to look into the matter of Crookes commenting on the decision of Ravele and TSA vice president Riad Davids to make themselves available for Sascoc elections. At a time when TSA had to think about endorsing their nominations, Crookes shared the thoughts of Hendricks on their chances of being elected. According to Hendricks, Sascoc’s acting president, neither would be successful.
Subsequently, the TSA board rejected Ravele’s nomination (for president) and supported Davids’ nomination as a board member. Ravele felt her fellow TSA board members were influenced when Crookes shared Hendricks’ views. Subsequently, she complained to Sascoc and the minister of sports, arts and culture Nathi Mthethwa.
A TSA sub-committee will decide if Crookes and Ravele need to be disciplined or are free to return to office. Both are presently on voluntary leave of absence from official duties. The sub-committee has not been given a time frame to complete its task.
Davids who also serves on the ITF’s junior committee has taken over national tennis as the acting president.
Hendricks is presently under suspension because of his utterances in the media in April when he said: “It is unfortunately clear that the Sascoc board is still failing in its duties and responsibilities, and in my mind is incapable of self-correcting on its own.”
Sascoc’s big wigs immediately responded with a media release which in part reads: “The board of Sascoc has noted with disappointment the latest regrettable attacks on its integrity by Mr Barry Hendricks. The continuing attack by Mr Hendricks on the current board is both unprecedented and unwarranted as this is the same board he was quite happy to lead until his leave of absence.”
The Sascoc board placed Hendricks on leave of absence pending the outcome of an investigation to be conducted by a judicial body. Again no time frame has been stipulated. Sascoc’s acting chief executive Ravi Govender told Independent Media that the board will meet on Tuesday.
After his scathing outburst, Hendricks may well have caused his own demise and his fellow Sascoc board members may want to see the back of him.
A second media release after Hendricks’ outburst, read: “The SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee board has instructed its members not to support suspended acting president Barry Hendricks.”