Ravele disappointed with SASCOC and does not see Hendricks’ suspension as victory
Veteran sports administrator Ntambi Ravele says she is still disappointed with the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) over how she was treated during her attempt to contest the SASCOC presidency in 2020.
Ravele, who is now the chairperson of Women in Sport South Africa, laid a complaint against then SASCOC vice-president Barry Hendricks and Tennis SA (TSA) president Gavin Crookes, accusing them of blocking her from contesting the elections.
Hendricks was later suspended following her complaint, and six years later, he has been suspended again over different governance issues.
However, Ravele does not see the latest suspension as justice or a victory.
She says she lost a lot of money through arbitration processes and believes SASCOC should have acted much earlier on the concerns she raised about Hendricks.
"Why is SASCOC only acting now? They should've acted at that time because if that were the case we wouldn't be discussing this right now. I'm disappointed with SASCOC for not taking action, but they still choose to act on certain individuals - it just depends if you're in their camp or not."
Ravele has explained why she pushed for Hendricks’ suspension a few years ago.
She says the way her nomination was handled by TSA and SASCOC remains a painful experience, and she remembers the events as if they happened yesterday.
Ravele, who has served in sports administration at Boxing South Africa, the Premier Soccer League, Cricket South Africa and other federations, says there have been some improvements at SASCOC since 2020.
However, she remains disappointed by the way she was treated when she tried to contest the SASCOC presidency.
The experienced administrator says her biggest wish is for South Africa to have an independent sports ombudsman.
She believes such an office could act as a gatekeeper, deal with governance problems and help resolve disputes before they become major issues within federations.
"Issues of governance at SASCOC must be addressed honestly. We definitely need an ombudsman in sports where people can go and report issues, and that ombudsman will rule without fear or favour. Having an independent organisation to deal with these governance issues will make a huge difference for federations."