CEO and administration review tops agenda of new BSA board

And believes hiring a permanent Chief Executive Officer (CEO)  is a top priority. The outgoing board included Acting CEO Ntsikayizwe Sithole, which Minister Zizi Kodwa has already stated is an unsustainable arrangement. 

"The minister reiterated a couple of times about the CEO's offices, getting stability there. With those other leadership positions which are required in BSA, we need to make sure people are in a position to feel comfortable with their duties. We need, from an administrative point of view, a review of certain things that may have happened in the past, and I think we need to find a way to take the sport forward," said Shongwe at the announcement of the new board in Pretoria on Tuesday. 

 "Those are the first few challenges I think if we can resolve and streamline, we'd have many stakeholders in boxing, especially boxers and managers alike, very happy. And allow them the opportunity to produce boxing and bring boxing back to people," he continued. 

BSA is without a permanent CEO or Chief Financial Officer (CFO), and the previous board suspended Chief Operations Officer (COO) Mandla Ntlanganiso. After recently announcing they had settled a long-running legal dispute with former CEO Moffat Qithi, whom they owed over R15 million since 2015 when he was wrongfully sacked by the then board, BSA is likely ready to advertise the CEO post.

"I'm certain the board is aware of the challenges. If we are to address the issues of sustainability, governance and leadership at BSA, you urgently need a new CEO. To stabilise the organisation, and address some of the gaps that you have [like] CFO and so on," said Kodwa. 

Many in boxing circles believe Ntlanganiso's suspension was a political move by the previous board. He was penalised in August when the BSA's regional manager in the Eastern Cape, Phakamile Jacobs, failed to appropriately calculate points. Ntlanganiso had some run-ins with that board, particularly Sithole, before his suspension. SABC Sport understands he has subsequently taken BSA to the CCMA, and Shongwe says this is another critical issue they will investigate.