adminSikhumbuzo Moyo Senior Sports Reporter
NATIONAL Athletics Association of Zimbabwe (Naaz) president Tendai Tagara last Friday refused to answer questions on a possible conflict of interest concerning his position in the sport.Despite being president of the athletics body, Tagara was until recently the director of coaching and national teams coach to the All-Africa and Olympic Games.
He has since been made deputy director of sport in the Ministry of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture. Concerns have been raised about his impartiality and whether the situation does not present him with a conflict of interest scenario.
When the question was posed to him during a press conference at the Zimbabwe National Youth Games last Friday, Tagara refused to speak but instead the Sport and Recreation Commission (SRC) director for sport development Joseph Muchechetere spoke on his behalf.
“Tagara has just whispered to me that he will not respond to that question,” said Muchechetere.
Observers have called for Tagara to resign as Naaz president due to a possible conflict of interest in executing his duties since he is also a senior government employee in the ministry that controls sport in the country. Athletics and the SRC have been at each other’s throat for over a decade with the former being insubordinate to the latter.
“If Naaz has some serious problems that need the ministry’s attention it’s likely that it will be Tagara’s office in the ministry that will deal with the issue. Who will put some checks and balances since he is the employer and employee,” said one of the observers.
Efforts to get a comment from the principal director in the ministry, Paul Damasane yielded nothing while the permanent secretary in the ministry Constance Chigwamba was said to be out of her office on business.
Online Reporter