Rugby boss refutes embezzlement allegations

ZIMBABWE Rugby Union (ZRU) president Losson Mtongwiza has cleared the air on the allegations that the association has been misusing funds meant for the players.

Gerald Maguranyanga wrote a letter in which he alleged that US$50 000 mobilised to assist The Cheetahs ahead of their Africa Cup Sevens tournament held in Mauritius last month, but the players received nothing.

Part of Maguranyanga’s letter read: “I know pretty much all the goings-on at the ZRU. Rugby is in dire straits, typified by the ZRU HQ, a one-time kit shed at Prince Edward, that ‘office’ in itself clearly a national embarrassment.

“I know too about the US$50 000 that I personally sourced specifically for the Sevens Rugby national players, not too long ago. Astonishingly, not a US$ ever got to the players. That matter was probed by ZAAC and the file was interfered with, but we keep pushing for a formal inquiry into the fate of the US$50 000.”

Responding to the allegations in an interview with NRTV, Mtongwiza dismissed the accusations and called on the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) to investigate the matter and let the law take its course.

“We have not received US$50 000. Why is ZACC not doing anything? We are not sitting in Johannesburg or somewhere, I am here in Zimbabwe. If we received US$50 000 and we did not account for it, surely we would have been arrested.

“We are audited every year, we are very strict with money that we get from our partners. This is the reason why rugby is where it is. This is why we continue to have all these partners that are on our jerseys, because we are audited, we receive money, we use it correctly. We remunerate players, we do the best that we can with the money that we get and this is why we keep getting partners,” said Mtongwiza.

The rugby boss added that they will end up taking the matter before the courts so as to protect their reputation.

“This mudslinging will not get any traction, neither will it help anyone, it will just end up in court because we are just going to protect ourselves from people that are just throwing mud at us. Fifty thousand, from where? I would want to be given 50 000 like here is 50 000,” he said.

Mtongwiza assumed the role of ZRU president in May, having previously served as the vice president (North). He believes that the accusations made by Maguranyanga are a personal attack as he wanted someone else to be voted as president.

However, despite believing that the allegations are emanating from a possible personal attack, Mtongwiza said his only focus is to take Zimbabwean rugby to the next level.

“He doesn’t even say who gave US$50 000 and where and when, but he says we got US$50 000 for the Sevens team. He is just trying to throw mud in the whole thing.

“Like I told you, you need to go back and ask yourself why? Only three months ago this guy was backing another president and he went on social media and told everyone whom he was backing. Unfortunately the person he was backing did not win. Could that be his issue?

“He still has not accepted the position that I am the president. I am not doing this for myself, I am doing this for the country. It is important to take these positions, do the absolute best that you can to get the country to the next level and then you exit. It’s not about me, it’s about the country getting into the next level, getting rugby somewhere,” said Mtongwiza.

He added: “I want to improve rugby beyond the World Cup, I want to take rugby to the next level and exit. This time next year, we want that Sevens team to be playing on the circuit. We want to be preparing ourselves for the November (2025) start of the circuit.”

The SVNS circuit, known as the HSBC SVNS for sponsorship reasons, is an annual series of international rugby Sevens tournaments run by World Rugby featuring national Sevens teams.

The season’s circuit consists of eight tournaments held in five continents, generally beginning in November or December and ending in May or June.

All tournaments feature the same 12 teams.

Zimbabwe participated in the 2018/19 season. – @brandon_malvin