South Africa's Smith cleared of racism by independent panel

Former South Africa director of cricket Graeme Smith has been cleared of racism allegations by two independent arbitrators, the country's cricket board (CSA) said on Sunday.

Smith and current head coach Mark Boucher were among a number of CSA employees implicated in "tentative findings" made by the Social Justice and Nation Building Ombudsman last year into alleged discrimination within the sport's national governing organisation in the past.

Boucher has been accused of racism by former team mate Paul Adams and of sidelining his former assistant coach Enoch Nkwe. He denies both allegations and will face a CSA disciplinary hearing on charges of gross misconduct next month.

The panel concluded that there was no evidence that Smith, also a former captain of the national side, racially discriminated against former player Thami Tsolekile between 2012 and 2014, or that he was biased against Black leadership at CSA.

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It added that there was no merit in the allegation that Smith favoured Boucher over Nkwe during the selection process for head