On Wednesday 20 January 2016 the National Horseracing Authority (“NHA”) held its Annual General Meeting (“AGM”) and a Special General Meeting (“SGM”). I was present at both meetings. In my opinion all the issues which were required to be put to the vote by members of the NHA at the AGM and the SGM were of great importance to some, if not many members, writes Brett Maselle.
I was disappointed in the way that the NHA board dealt with the issues required to be decided.
To put it simply, the NHA :-
1) Did not allow any of the issues raised by Mr Goosen and Dr Katzwinkel for the AGM, to be put to the vote, despite members having been asked to vote by proxy and informed that the issues would be voted on at the AGM.
2) Started the process of voting on the SGM issues but put a hold to it when it was suggested by Mr Du Plessis of Phumelela that there was no need to vote on the issues as the board did not obtain a 2/3 majority as required by the Constitution.
So that put an end on issues which members were specifically asked to cast a vote.
It will take me a good few hours to type out what transpired at the meetings.
For the past two weeks I have scoured websites to see what has been reported about the events of the AGM and SGM.
For its own reasons, the NHA has failed to notify members regarding what transpired at the two meetings. I thought that the NHA board would regard notice or a report back to members as being essential and mandatory.
Members live throughout RSA and expect some sort of notification. The issues to be discussed and voted on at the SGM were of major importance. Clearly, the lack of communication of the NHA shows that it has a different understanding to me about keeping members up to date.
Robert F Kennedy said: The problem of power is how to achieve its responsible use rather than its irresponsible and indulgent use – of how to get men of power to live for the public rather than off the public.
