Category: Featured

The Proteas T20 Squad in India, along with the contracted Proteas players, today pledged R100 000 to assist Mondli Khumalo in his recovery from the serious injuries he sustained in an assault last week.

Temba Bavuma, Proteas T20 captain commented from India; “We are all part of the cricket family, and we must come together to support Mondli as he recovers from his horrific injuries.  We are grateful for the excellent care he is receiving in England, and we are hopeful for a full recovery and return to cricket”.

Dean Elgar, Proteas Test captain added; “As a group of players we wanted to make a contribution to his rehabilitation, and he will remain in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.  The support Mondli is receiving from the cricket community in South Africa and the United Kingdom, is evidence of the power of our game.”

“SACA is in direct contact with Mondli’s agent, Rob Humphries, who has been doing wonderful work in supporting Mondli and his family.  We are in discussions with Rob as how best to utilize these funds, as well as additional funds that will be forthcoming from the SACA Benevolent Fund.  We thank CSA and KZN Cricket Inland for their work in supporting Mondli at this time.  The cricket community displayed incredible support for Solo Nqweni when he faced the challenge of overcoming the Guillain-Barré syndrome in 2020, and we are seeing the same support for Mondli – it is heart-warming” concluded SACA CEO Andrew Breetzke.

South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA) today thanked the Momentum Group for their immense contribution to the development and health of South African cricket over the past 8 year period.  The decision of Momentum to exit the game at the end of their current ODI sponsorship agreement is regrettable, but their concerns regarding the governance of cricket are shared by SACA.

Andrew Breetzke, SACA CEO, commented; “I spoke to Carel Bosman (Momentum Group Head of Sponsorship) today, and thanked him on behalf of our members.  Momentum has been committed to our game since 2012, and in addition to sponsoring ODI cricket in South Africa, they pioneered the Pink Day ODI together with CSA – an event that has become a leading event on the South Africa sporting calendar.  We are grateful that Momentum will continue to sponsor the Proteas Women, and look forward to working with them in this regard.

Momentum Health remains an important sponsor of SACA members, and their role in providing players with medical aid cover is critical to the well-being of professional cricketers in South Africa.  We would like to thank them for the great work that they do for players in providing quality health care services.”
“The current economic environment is heavily constrained due to the Covid-19 impact and consequently many businesses are reviewing their partnerships. The sporting community is not immune to this in fact. It is the most affected given the sharp decrease in all round economic activity related to the game. This decrease in activity (amongst other factors) affects the value derived by sponsors from these partnerships. As a result, administrators should take note of this and transform the business models in a way that can bring back the value of these partnerships. Domestic cricket, in particular, which was sponsored by Momentum had already seen a decline in exposure and stadium attendance by fans. It is therefore imperative for cricket administrators to use this crisis to re-invent the business model and institutional practices of the game in such a way that it gives confidence to the sponsors and creates space for value to be derived from cricket”, added Omphile Ramela, SACA President. 

The South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA) has partnered with the CoachED Cricket, the online cricket coach education platform aimed to provide players with the skills to become accomplished coaches.

CoachED is an online platform that offers a number of options for aspiring coaches from a basic package of information to the Elite Accreditation course where the aspirant coaches receive personal guidance from some of the game’s best coaches and players.

“Dual career is a key service we provide to players through the Player Plus programme and we are always looking for ways to improve and expand on dual career opportunities for players. The CoachED partnership is an exciting one for players as it provides them with the flexibility of online learning to develop their off field skills,” commented Andrew Breetzke, SACA CEO.

Mthokozisi Shezi, Rory Kleinveldt and JP Duminy are the first three players to be awarded a SACA bursary to advance their coaching careers and are currently participants on the second cohort of the CoachED Elite Accreditation. 

Founded by former India and Proteas head coach Gary Kirsten, the CoachED cricket coach education platform is a tool that has a great deal to offer any aspiring coach.

“I’m very excited to be partnering up with SACA to assist in exploring a coaching career path for current and retired professional cricketers,” Kirsten said. 

“CoachED is an online coach education platform which provides a great opportunity to learn, remotely, from some of the best coaches in the world on how to become a highly effective coach.”

Through his coaching experience, Kirsten understands that it is difficult for ex-players to just shift straight into coaching so using a platform like CoachED will help in bridging that gap.

“Having transitioned from a 17 year playing career straight into coaching, I did not realise how little I knew about the intricacies, detail and the art of coaching. It would have been hugely beneficial, whilst still playing, to have had the opportunity to develop my coaching skills on a platform like CoachED.” 

“We look forward to this partnership with SACA and trust that this initiative will make a positive contribution to the wellbeing of cricket in South Africa.”

CoachED and SACA have come to an agreement whereby players who are SACA members will receive a discount when they sign up for one of the three options.

Lundi Ngidi’s recent media posts stating that he would be in favour of supporting the Black Lives Matter cause have resulted in extensive social and mainstream media commentary.  The South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA) today recorded their strong support for Lungi and his right to Freedom of Expression.

Individual Athlete Activism has challenged societal prejudices since Tommie Smith, Peter Norman, and John Carlos stood up for human rights and against racial oppression from the Olympic Podium in 1968.  The International Olympic Committee earlier this year confirmed their regulations of suppressing the right of Olympic athletes to exercise their Freedom of Expression.  This is evidence of how little change there has been within world sport, it denies athletes their basic right to express an opinion, and reinforces the institutional racism that exists in many sporting federations.

Andrew Breetzke, CEO of SACA commented; “Freedom of Expression is an enabling right that all South Africans support.  We must therefore respect Lungi, as a sporting role model, when he exercises his Freedom of Expression on the important matter of racial discrimination. To subject him to unfair criticism, is to undermine his right. 

As SACA CEO I lead a diverse group of players and I stand with Lungi in my commitment to transformation, diversity, and to continue to work towards building a more inclusive game and society.”

Individual athlete activism leads to collective athlete activism, which can ultimately lead to institutional change.  This is a phenomenon that is being experienced throughout the world following the growth of the Black Lives Matter movement.

“Many of our cricketers have spoken out on a number of issues, including lack of transformation, gender-based violence and child abuse – they are more than sportsmen and women, they have a right to support initiatives that represent their social interest. Sport continues to be a microcosm of society, yet it remains the most forceful tool we have to break the shackles and bondages of the past,” added Omphile Ramela, SACA President.

The South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA) today announced that the country’s professional cricketers will be donating R300 000 to the Gift of the Givers Foundation to assist with distributing food parcels to communities suffering under the COVID-19 pandemic.

In announcing the donation, SACA CEO Andrew Breetzke commented, “the pandemic is having a devastating impact on communities throughout South Africa. Our 315 members, in recognizing this, are committed to doing what they can to alleviate the suffering.  A number of players, including Faf du Plessis, Vernon Philander and Temba Bavuma have already dedicated their time and resources to alleviate hardship in their regions.”

 “This was an easy decision for the SACA Executive Committee. As professional cricketers, we enjoy the support of all South Africans, and this is a time when we need to show our support for them” added SACA President, Omphile Ramela.

In showing his support, Faf du Plessis stated, “we all need to do what we can to assist our fellow-South Africans – this donation will make a difference to the lives of the most vulnerable, and it will hopefully motivate others to make similar contributions.”

In accepting the donation, Gift of the Givers committed to contributing a further R150 000 to the donation received from the players, thus increasing the support to R450 000.  The monies will be directed to alleviating poverty amongst children in communities worst hit by the impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Gift of the Givers Director, Badr Kazi in thanking the players said “we are honoured to have been chosen to partner SACA in the fight against this global pandemic. It is comforting for many cricket fans to know that their heroes are leading a different type of fight off the pitch – one which encompasses care, compassion and kindness to their fellow citizens. As South Africans, we face stormy and unchartered waters ahead, and our ability to navigate these troubled times means that all tiers of our society need to work together to combat a threat that is bigger than us. Gift of the Givers is extremely grateful to our cricketing citizens for their donation and with equal measure – their generosity of spirit” said Badr Kazi

“The decision by Gift of the Givers to supplement our donation is humbling.  As an organisation, they do selfless work throughout South Africa and on behalf of all cricketers in South Africa, we thank them” added Breetzke.

The professional cricketers have also set aside an initial amount of R300 000 to provide relief for members (past and present) who have been hardest hit by the pandemic.

“In addition to these initiatives, we are working together with Cricket South Africa (CSA) to establish a fund to support individuals in the wider cricket community and will be looking to make a donation to assist in the establishment of that fund.

We all look forward to the day when we can hear the crack of leather on willow again – but for now, we need to step up and play our part in fighting this pandemic, and the devastating impact it is having on many South Africans” concluded Breetzke.

The South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA) today congratulates World Sports Betting Cape Cobras all-rounder George Linde on ending the season at the top of the overall SACA MVP in domestic franchise cricket for the 2019/20 season.  Linde finished on a total of 325.337 points, a handful of points ahead of Hollywoodbets Dolphins duo, all-rounder, Prenelan Subrayen (306.297) and wicketkeeper-batsman, Grant Roelofsen (302.650).  

The SACA MVP rankings measure the overall performances of players in domestic franchise cricket across all three CSA domestic franchise competitions – the 4-Day Competition and the Momentum One-Day Cup.  Players earn points based on an internationally recognised formula, used by many player associations around the world, for batting, bowling, fielding and a players contribution to matches won by the team.  The points are weighted across CSA’s domestic franchise competitions, to ensure that critical performances are recognised in each match.

The SACA MVP rankings also identify those players who have performed outstandingly in particular competitions with overall points broken down into batting, bowling and fielding indices.

“It’s a great feeling finishing top of the SACA MVP for the season,” said George Linde.  “It was a short, but great season for me this year and I am looking forward to next season.”

Linde’s consistent performances in the 4 Day competition concluded with a total of 30 wickets with two 10 wicket hauls and three fifers. He was rewarded with call up’s to both the Proteas Test and ODI squad’s this season.

“It has been another great season of cricket and I would like to congratulate George on winning the coveted title and to Prenelan and Grant who finished in second and third respectively,” said SACA chief executive officer, Andrew Breetzke. “Despite an early end to the season, there were a number of strong individual and team performances and I would like to thank all the players for their ongoing commitment to the game and the hard work put in by them” commented Breetzke.

The Standard Bank Proteas cricketers have pledged their support for Solo Nqweni by contributing R 50 000 towards his rehabilitation costs.

In July 2019, whilst playing club cricket in Scotland, Nqweni was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre, a rare but serious auto-immune disorder whereby the immune system attacks the nervous system. After five months in intensive care at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary hospital, Solo returned home in January to undergo rehabilitation in Johannesburg.  The cost of rehabilitation is significant and various fund-raising initiatives have been launched to assist Solo.
 
“Through the good and difficult times, players always stand together and this is no different. The decision to stand by Solo, as part of the cricket family was an easy one to make,” commented Proteas Test captain, Faf du Plessis.
 
“On behalf of the Proteas, we would like to wish Solo all the best with his rehabilitation and we hope to see him on the field in the future,” said Quinton de Kock, Proteas ODI captain
 
“We would like to thank Momentum Health, Aberdeenshire Cricket club, the Proteas cricketers and everyone that has offered their support to Solo and his family through this challenging time. We would also like to acknowledge the work of Rob Humphries (Solo’s agent) and JP van Wyk (SACA Player Services Manager) in assisting Solo over the past seven months.  SACA remains committed to continuing our support of Solo going forward” said SACA chief executive officer, Andrew Breetzke.