Johannesburg - Enoch Nkwe refused to say whether he would appear at Mark Boucher’s disciplinary hearing in May, but added that he did respect Boucher and the process that Cricket SA is conducting.
Nkwe has taken up a two month consultancy role with the Central Gauteng Lions, his first venture back into cricket since resigning as the South African men’s team assistant coach last August.
Nkwe was dragged into Cricket SA’s (CSA) saga with Boucher, when his departure from the Proteas was used as the basis from some of the charges Boucher will be facing.
CSA wants Boucher dismissed, citing “gross misconduct.” The hearing before Adv. Terry Motau SC, is scheduled to take place from May 16 to 20.
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Nkwe gave a ‘no comment’ about whether he’d be appearing before Motau.
“I respect the process CSA have embarked on and I respect Mark, hence I’ve left everything to CSA and Mark Boucher to deal with. I’ve got on with my business in terms of my next step and that is, Lions cricket and to focus on the two-month project.”
In its charge sheet CSA stated that Boucher “allegedly did not formalise any documented roles and responsibilities" or meaningful KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) for Nkwe.
CSA also alleged that Boucher did not provide any specific or sufficiently specific and defined role for Nkwe and no "personal development plans" were documented or implemented, and that Boucher allegedly treated Nkwe in “a manner unbecoming of a leader” in the position Boucher holds.
Nkwe had taken a sabbatical following his resignation and “zoned out completely from cricket.”
Before he could announce what his next step would be he was dragged back into the spotlight, when the charges against Boucher were made public.
“It’s disturbing, no matter how far you want to hide yourself, that’s the reality. There are people concerned about your well-being, which I appreciate. When I was still playing and transitioned into coaching you get trained to deal with such phases in your life
“So far I’ve been able to handle it mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, in terms of what's been happening the last couple of months. It’s not my fault, I can’t control everything, it's about how you respond and how you manage yourself.”
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His new role with the Lions will see him responsible for creating a structure that refines how the province will play cricket.
“I'll be reviewing the system, meaning the pipeline, the behavioural values, the mindset, the way we want to go about our business and the brand. Ultimately, obviously, our entire philosophy is to create that playing identity, so that people when they see every single team playing can go ‘right that’s the Lions playing.’
Nkwe admitted the position, which doesn’t have an official title, will evolve.
“For the next two months it's about empowering the coaches as much as possible, and reviewing the system from a strategic point of view and coming up with what can be done better,” he said.