Online Reporter
Innocent Kurira
ZIMBABWEAN basketball has been plunged into fresh uncertainty after the International Basketball Federation (Fiba) formally refused to recognise the outcome of the Basketball Union of Zimbabwe (BUZ) elections held on November 15, 2025.
In a strongly worded letter addressed to BUZ, Fiba made it clear that it cannot acknowledge the election of two presidents, describing the situation as an “institutional ambiguity” that violates principles of good governance required of national federations.
“Fiba cannot recognise the existence of two elected Presidents,” wrote Fiba Africa Executive Director Julien Farran and Fiba Head of Legal Affairs and General Counsel Jaime Lamboy. The correspondence was also copied to Fiba Africa president, Anibal Manave.
The world basketball governing body stated that the simultaneous election of two individuals to the presidency is incompatible with the “principles of clarity, stability, and proper representation required of a National Member Federation.”
Fiba said it would maintain its position until the matter is resolved and a single president is duly elected through a legitimate and legally certain process.
“This decision is taken solely to protect the integrity of BUZ’s governance and does not prejudge the intentions or qualifications of any individual involved,” the letter reads.
The global body has since requested BUZ to submit its most recent constitution and statutes to allow Fiba to assess whether there is a compliant mechanism within the federation’s governing framework to resolve the impasse.
The controversy stems from a dramatic elective congress held in Gweru that failed to produce a decisive winner. Four candidates were initially expected to contest the presidency, but Sikhumbuzo Ndlovu withdrew at the eleventh hour, leaving David Pick, Johnson Shumba and Taurai Chitsinde in the race.
Chitsinde was eliminated in the first round after failing to secure a single vote. What followed was an unprecedented deadlock between Pick and Shumba, who split all 10 provincial votes evenly.
A second round of voting again produced a 5–5 tie. A third ballot yielded the same result, plunging congress into confusion.
With no constitutional provision to break the stalemate, officials controversially declared a shared presidency, effectively creating co-presidents.
However, BUZ’s constitution makes no allowance for a co-presidency structure, a loophole that has now drawn international scrutiny. Fiba’s intervention has effectively invalidated the arrangement, leaving Zimbabwe without a recognised basketball leadership structure at international level.
