Gauteng became the first South African province to boast an all-African management team this week when Dr Mtutulezi Nyoka, a 41-year-old ear, nose and throat surgeon, was elected to the chairmanship. Nyoka has also accepted a nomination to stand for the presidency of the United Cricket Board at the annual meeting of the body early next month.

Nyoka joins Thabo Moseki, appointed recently as the first African chief executive of a provincial, at the Wanderers and together the pair face the considerable task of restoring the country's biggest, richest and, in recent years, most ineptly administered union to its former glory.

Nyoka is hardly unaware that the performances of both himself and Moseki will be scrutinised in fine detail, not least because of the simple fact of the colour of their skins. He is not, however, daunted by the prospect.

"We live in South Africa," he said. "And I know that in many ways Africans are looked at very differently. But I don't believe that this will place additional pressure on me. These are trials that I have faced in many other areas and I believe I will cope.

"The challenge that I face together with Mr Moseki is to try and turn Gauteng around and I look forward to this challenge."

Nyoka said that he was committed to the transformation process and believes that this will be inextricably linked to the success of his task.

He has said that he hopes to call on the expertise of many of those involved in the old Mean Machine days of Transvaal cricket and he has on hand, in director of cricket, Alan Kourie, a direct link to the past.

"We have all the resources we need here," he said. "There is no reason to fail."

For Nyoka, Moseki and Kourie, though, the priority has to be to turn Gauteng around on the field. As in all sports organisations, success or failure is seen in terms of results. In the case of a province like Gauteng, with its proud, and not so distant, history, the pressure for success weighs heavily.

© CricInfo