Online Reporter
Zimpapers Sports Hub
THE Sport and Recreation Commission has lifted the ban on Zimbabwe Netball Association (Zina) president Leticia Chipandu.
She has since resumed her duties at the helm of the netball motherbody.
She was suspended on May 30 this year.
In a formal notice to Chipandu, the SRC wrote: “This serves to advise you of the lifting of suspension from all forms of netball administration effective immediately. As such, you may continue with netball administration activities.”
Chipandu, who has been at the helm of Zina since 2002, was suspended amid serious allegations including disregard for the association’s constitution, maladministration, and fueling divisions within the sport.
Her return, less than two months later, is likely to draw mixed reactions across the netball community.
While some stakeholders may view the reinstatement as a stabilising measure, others see it as a missed opportunity to initiate long-overdue reforms in a sport long plagued by internal divisions.
Over the past decade, Zimbabwean netball has grown increasingly fragmented, with three rival top-flight leagues, the Rainbow League, the Premier Netball League, and the TNL, all competing for relevance and legitimacy.
The on-going discord has left players disillusioned, teams marginalised, and the national side lacking a unified domestic platform.
Calls for SRC intervention had intensified in recent years, culminating in a formal petition and a widely attended all-stakeholders meeting earlier this year.
Many within the sport had hoped those developments would usher in a new era of governance and unity.
Chipandu has not issued a public statement on her reinstatement but is expected to begin re-engaging with league officials, sponsors and affiliated bodies in the coming days.
