Qondisa Ngwenya has been named the chief executive officer and Edward Khoza the chief operating officer of the Local Organising Committee (LOC) of the ODI World Cup 2027.

Khoza had served as CSA’s head of cricket pathways during the Social Justice and Nation-Building (SJN) hearings around the controversy of team selections in 2021. He was the executive of domestic cricket after that.

Ngwenya also comes from a sporting background, currently serving as the president of Cycling South Africa. He was also the head of Octagon, a television production company.

CSA made the announcement on Saturday, saying the two candidates were endorsed unanimously, following a “rigorous recruitment and selection process.” The release also said they demonstrated “strong capabilities to lead the planning and operational delivery” of the next ODI World Cup, which will be co-hosted by South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe in October-November 2027.

“The LOC Board is delighted to welcome Qondisa and Edward,” Trevor Manuel, Chairperson of the World Cup 2027 LOC board, said. “We look forward to their expertise in delivering a demanding mega sporting event of this magnitude.

“They have proved to be more than capable of delivering the Board’s vision to unite the global community through the ICC Cricket World Cup 2027, inspire the next generation, and leave a lasting legacy of sport, sustainability, and social cohesion.

“We equally extend our appreciation to Cricket South Africa for supporting the process, and the International Cricket Council for endorsing the appointments.”

The 2027 ODI World Cup will be played between 14 teams over 54 matches. While as many as ten Full Member sides go through based on rankings and host status, the rest will go through the World Cup Qualifier, that will feature ten teams. The top four teams from that tournament will proceed to the main tournament.