SRC demands money from Zifa

Zifa owes the country’s supreme sports body $280 000 in levies from previous seasons.
Levies from gate receipts are collected by the Sports Commission as mandated by the Sports Act.
Sports Commission director-general, Charles Nhemachema, told an indaba for the national sports association convened on Tuesday in the capital that it is mandatory for associations to remit levies.

The meeting had been convened by the Ministry of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture and was aimed at coming up with a National Sports Strategy.
“Basically, the thinking behind levies is to help the Sports Commission to be able to function.
“Part of the funds should be channelled towards sports development.
“We have realised that we are extremely incapacitated on sports marketing in such a way that we sometimes run sports as events instead of businesses.

“We could run training programmes for three days, but when we do not get the money, we are unable to do so.
“The levies are applicable to each and every association,” said Nhemachema.
He said associations like the Zimbabwe Rugby Union,  Zimbabwe Cricket and the Zimbabwe Motorsport Federation  have been paying the levies regularly while Zifa are the biggest culprits. “Imagine a development programme that could be done for the juniors if we are to take at least $20 000 of this amount,” said Nhemachena.

Nhemachena said the Sports Commission will give an audience to associations in default before taking any action.
“We have resolved that for those associations that are not complying, we are going to engage them one by one and they should show cause why we should not summon them for a disciplinary hearing,” he said.
The Sports Commission, Nhemachena said, has since held an audience with Zifa on the levies.

“Zifa explained their predicament to us on why they are not paying but we also gave them our observations.
“We have noted that Zifa does not have a strategic plan in place.
“Up to now the Zifa board has been in office for close to two years but we are yet to see their strategic plan.

“The last time we engaged them, we pointed out that they should start paying levies and then we work out a payment plan for that amount owing rather than allowing the debt to accrue.
“So some sports associations are going to get into trouble unless they conform.
“Zifa have accumulated a backlog but from now on they should start paying up,” Nhemachena said.

The Sports Commission has also issued an ultimatum to its  affiliates to send their calendar of events for this year by the end of this month.
“We need a consolidated calendar so that we are able to follow on the events,” said Nhemachena.
The Principal Director in the Ministry of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture, Paul Damasane, said there is need to improve communication between the Sports Commission and its affiliates so that the parent ministry is also informed.

“We get to know of some of the national team events by reading in the newspapers yet as Government we also want to be visible within the sporting achievements.
“If we know that on a particular day there is a particular sports event, we could also control the school programme so that we avoid a counter-attraction since we are the parent ministry.

“The schools will also not stage certain activities on days that are occupied by sports associations if possible,” said Damasane.
Damasane said his ministry will work with all stakeholders like the Sports Commission, Zimbabwe Olympic Committee, Zimbabwe Paralympic Committee, the Special Olympics and the corporate sector to come up with the National Sports Strategy.

The medium-term plan has provisionally identified athletics, football, golf, swimming and cricket as priority sports until it lapses in 2015.
It is hoped that the National Sports Strategy will be the blueprint used by the Sports Commission to market sports as a viable business in Zimbabwe.