Sports Commission under fire

Paul Munyuki Sports Reporter
FORMER Zimbabwe Rugby Union board member Gerald Maguranyanga believes the union’s president made a mistake in unconstitutionally appointing Colleen de Jong as his deputy and claims the Sports Commission slept on duty.

Falkenberg appointed de Jong as his executive vice-president last year following the resignation of Aisha Tsimba.

Maguranyanga feels this could have been avoided had the Sports Commission not been “sleeping on duty”.

“Not being able to pick such an irregularity means the Sports Commission was sleeping on duty and this adds to the justification why the Minister of Sport (Andrew) Langa expressed disappointment in the Sports Commission.

“When an appointment is made in a sporting association, it is the duty of the Sports Commission to make sure that the due process has been followed and that no regulations have been flouted in line with the association’s constitution.

“As the supreme sports governing body in the country, the Sports Commission should keep tabs on what is happening in the sporting associations, worse still they can’t afford not to pick what happens in big sporting associations like football, athletics, rugby and cricket.

“Not to say that they should run the associations but they should monitor and pick up events like these,” said Maguranyanga.

Ironically, when Tsimba resigned from her post she was going to take up another post in the Sports Commission as a board member.

Maguranyanga feels it is important that the ZRU respect their constitution.

The next ZRU elections will be held in February 2016.

“As a former ZRU board member I wish to see Falkenberg and his board do well because I have been involved in the game before and I support the board.

“Personally, I have respect for John, he is a bona-fide rugby administrator and I know he wants what’s best for the game.

“But he is also human and is bound to make mistakes, and in this case he made a mistake by not following the constitution.

“I would encourage the ZRU to follow what the constitution says because if they do not then they are only providing ammunition to their critics and the public to fight them not necessarily because they hate them but they want things to move in the right way for the sake of the game.

“Colleen is not the devil in this case, she should be excused. But when mistakes are made, then the board should try by all means to regularise this.”