Online Reporter
Veronica Gwaze
Zimpapers Sports Hub
A MAN who, until now, barely had a voice in the room is suddenly tasked with steering Zimbabwean netball out of its darkest hour.
Emmanuel Harawa, once a silent vice president, has been appointed acting president of the Zimbabwe Netball Association (ZINA), replacing Leticia Chipandu, the woman who ran the sport with an iron grip for over two decades but now stands disgraced and suspended.
The move comes after a dramatic intervention by the Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC), which last Friday dropped the hammer, suspending Chipandu from all netball activities with immediate effect amid explosive allegations of corruption, gross player neglect, and abuse of office.
ZINA confirmed Harawa’s elevation in a statement issued Tuesday evening:
“The Executive Committee acknowledges communication from the Sport and Recreation Commission (SRC) relating to the suspension of Mrs Letitia Chipandu . . . Mr Emmanuel Harawa, the current vice president, has assumed the role of acting president until further notice,” said ZINA Communications Officer Maimba Mapuranga.
Harawa now inherits a fractured institution in the midst of public outcry, internal revolt, and two ongoing investigations, one by the SRC, the other by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC).
But there is no time for him to settle in quietly.
The national team, the Zambezi Eagles, are already in camp preparing for Power Week Two of South Africa’s Telkom Netball League, set for June 13–17. Harawa must lead from the front, on and off the court.
“Preparations are underway. The team is in camp ahead of the TNL, so there’s not much time to relax,” said the new acting president. The pressure is immediate, but it is the shadow of Chipandu’s reign that will haunt Harawa’s early days.
For weeks, Zimpapers Sports Hub investigations exposed the rot beneath ZINA’s surface: sponsorship money unaccounted for, players forced to buy national team kit despite full funding, and injured athletes left to fend for themselves.
Among the most damning cases was that of Nicole Muzanenhamo, who suffered a serious injury while on national duty. Though Nedbank, the team’s leading sponsor, confirmed it released funds for her treatment, the money never reached her or her club, GreenFuel.
“We had no choice,” a GreenFuel official revealed. “ZINA went silent. Our player’s health was deteriorating and we had to step in. We paid for everything, surgery, therapy, the lot.”
This is just one of several allegations Chipandu now faces. Others include extortion, players were allegedly forced to pay US$70 for jackets ahead of the Scotland Invitational, despite sponsorship, and blocking clubs from sourcing branded kits independently.
While Chipandu denies all wrongdoing and has accused the media and clubs of spreading lies, the backlash has only grown louder.
A closed-door, emotionally charged indaba held in Harare weeks ago brought sponsors, league officials, and players face-to-face with the ZINA executive. Sources described it as a “no holds barred intervention,” where stakeholders finally broke their silence.
“How long must we be ignored? Where is the Nedbank money? Why are we paying for national kits?” were some of the searing questions raised.
The SRC’s formal suspension reads in part:
“Mrs Leticia Chipandu has been suspended . . . from all forms of netball administration in Zimbabwe with immediate effect. The suspension is a result of investigations conducted by the SRC on challenges prevailing within the Zimbabwe Netball Association’s administration and structures.”
ZACC, working under case number 005818, has begun interviewing affected players and clubs. “Some victims have already been interviewed,” a ZACC official confirmed. “More will follow, including former players and administrators.”
Despite the upheaval, the rest of the ZINA executive remains in office, a fact many stakeholders have already begun to question.
For now, Harawa holds the reins at a time when the game needs more than just leadership, it needs healing and restoration.
“This isn’t just about governance,” said one club administrator who attended the Harare indaba. “It’s about the lives and futures of young women who give everything for the flag. The lies must stop. The healing must begin.”
Chipandu’s fall from grace may have created a vacuum, but it also presents an opening. Whether Harawa can rise to the occasion or whether he simply inherits a poisoned chalice will be revealed in the coming weeks.
