As the province continues to lose out on significant sports tourism investments, the Democratic Alliance (DA) has urged the Chairperson for the Portfolio Committee for Sport, Arts and Culture, Priscilla Isaacs, to urgently summon the Northern Cape Cricket (NCC) Board to appear before the Northern Cape Provincial Legislature (NCPL).
This follows the recent announcement that Kimberley lost the opportunity to host the Proteas Women vs Pakistan T20 match after the Diamond Oval was ruled non-compliant by Cricket South Africa (CSA).
The condition of the pitch contained critical deficiencies that affected the surface of the pitch, the outfield, the practice facilities and the overall compliance that would negatively affect the safety of players.
Despite the Northern Cape’s significant potential for outdoor sports, the province is slowly becoming a shadow of itself as a sports tourism destination and investment opportunities are increasingly capitalised on by other provinces.
The province must act decisively against the growing negligence of NCC to prevent the collapse of sports development in the province, by requiring the board to immediately account to the committee for the loss of its T20 hosting status. We will also require them to provide a clear remediation plan with a timeline, towards achieving full compliance.
Together with the legislature, we have a duty to enforce accountability to ensure that the Diamond Oval remains a world-class venue for international cricket.