Johannesburg - Enoch Nkwe has made a tentative return into South African cricket structures by taking up a part-time consultancy role with the Central Gauteng Lions Union.
Nkwe quit as Proteas assistant coach in August last year, citing concerns over the national team’s environment and culture. He has since spent time dealing with personal matters, and rebuilding himself, but in line with recent remarks is now ready to resume working within South African cricket, albeit at provincial level. Nkwe will be “a strategic cricket consultant” at the union from March until April this year.
The Lions CEO, Jono Leaf-Wright said Nkwe’s role had been negotiated for some time. Nkwe had said in recent interviews that he was ready to return to cricket, but implied that he no longer saw coaching as being part of his future, rather a role in administration that would allow him to create structures in which development, coaching and the playing of the sport occurred.
“It all comes down to high performance – we strive for setting up structures that will drive high performance, impacting men and women,” said Leaf-Wright. “Enoch will work with our framework coaches and our system in this space as well as the semi-professional Imperial Lions women’s team and the Imperial Lions mens team.”
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It is a return to Nkwe’s original home where he first played professionally and later coached in the junior structures before leading the then Lions franchise to two titles - the T20 Challenge and the Four-Day Sunfoil Series in 2019. Later that same year he was made interim Team Director for the Proteas tour to India and following the shake-up at Cricket SA that led to the suspension and then dismissal of Thabang Moroe, Nkwe was made Proteas assistant coach under Mark Boucher.
Nkwe has been clouded in controversy since quitting the Proteas, with his reasons for leaving the subject of an internal inquiry by Cricket SA. It appears the organisation used some of the findings of that inquiry as the basis of charges against Boucher. Boucher will face a disciplinary hearing in May, with CSA seeking his dismissal for gross misconduct.
❗️ ANNOUNCEMENT
— Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) August 24, 2021
Proteas' Assistant Coach Enoch Nkwe has sadly stepped down with immediate effect.
🙏 Thank you for your years of service as you continue to be an inspiration to young cricketers and coaches.
🔗 Full statement - https://t.co/gJy5XnSbTd#ThatsOurGame pic.twitter.com/iAJC5xec1X
Among the charges is that Boucher didn’t formalise roles and responsibilities for Nkwe nor create any “personal development plans” for him as assistant coach. According to recent reports, Nkwe is understood to be angered about being drawn into the Boucher disciplinary process, and it's not known if he will appear before the hearing’s chairman, Adv. Terry Motau.
Nkwe said in a Lions statement released on Saturday that he hoped to add value within the union’s structures during his brief stint there.