Elgar insists South Africa will ‘support’ Boucher ahead of racism hearing

South Africa head coach Mark Boucher will have a disciplinary hearing in May after being charged with gross misconduct over “allegations of discrimination and racism”

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South Africa captain Dean Elgar has said the players are “supporting” head coach Mark Boucher, who is facing a disciplinary hearing after being charged with gross misconduct.

Cricket South Africa (CSA) levelled the charge at Boucher after the Social Justice and Nation-Building (SJN) report concluded that he had discriminated against players based on their race.

During the SJN hearings, former South Africa spinner Paul Adams said he was given the nickname “brown s***” during his international career and Boucher was among those who referred to him by the moniker.

Boucher has since admitted to singing a song which included the slur and he has issued an apology, saying he “deeply regrets and apologises for the part I played in joining in with my team-mates in singing offensive songs or using offensive nicknames”.

The report concluded that his response showed a “lack of sensitivity and understanding of the racist undertones” and that he is “apathetic towards diversity and transformation.”

In response, CSA formally charged Boucher with gross misconduct and they will now have a disciplinary hearing in May, which could lead to his dismissal.

The hearing will also look into the resignation of former assistant coach Enoch Nkwe, who quit in August after raising “concerns about the functioning and culture of the team environment”.

Members of the current South Africa squad will testify on Boucher’s behalf and Elgar has spoken about the impending hearing ahead of his side’s tour of New Zealand.

“Cricket comes first for us, irrespective of what our head coach is going through,” Elgar said.

“But we are supporting him through this process because we know how much value he adds to our system and our group. He is a massive part of it.

“It is just another hurdle in our path that we have to get over. We need to stick together, which we have done in the past, and let this process follow its course.

“I doubt it will affect the team, this process has been up in the air for some time now. We had a feeling it might come to this point where players would be asked to testify, and so be it.”