Vusumuzi Dube
Sports Reporter
THE Sport and Recreation Commission (SRC) is hoping the ninth parliament will push towards taking the Sports Integrity Bill into law.
The Bill is meant to address the ills in local sport. If passed into law, the bill is likely to be a deterrent measure to those who might want to involve themselves in illegal practices.
The Bill also covers issues to do with sexual harassment, match manipulation, theft, violence, misappropriation of funds among other issues.
The enactment as an Act of Parliament of the Sports Integrity Bill remains outstanding.
The draft Bill is under the active consideration of the Attorney-General’s Office after Cabinet approved its tenets in 2020.
Speaking at the Sunday News Sports Indaba on Violence on Friday, SRC Bulawayo provincial co-ordinator Sam Dzvimbu said they are hoping to have the bill passed into law.
“The Central Government is seized with making sure we come up with legislature and laws. We have a bill that we are sure the ninth parliament is going to push which covers our key areas that cover a lot of issues to do with competition manipulation which is found in sport, issues to do with safeguarding and making the sport clean.
“We want to avoid cheating which comes from clubs, schools and a whole lot of areas. We want to get rid of the mentality of winning at all costs. We also want to make sure issues to do with corruption are covered under that bill so that we criminalise areas where these issues arise,” said Dzvimbu.
He added that:
“Violence is another area in sport that is not clean. Clean sport is free from violence. It is in that background that the ninth parliament is going to prioritise the Sports Integrity Bill which will assist all of us and the law enforcement makers to make sure that we are backed by law in terms of the grey areas.
“We want to see this dialogue become a national dialogue. We should speak openly about how we can improve our sport.”
— @innocentskizoe
derick.khumalo
Online Reporter