SRC to levy all sportspersons

Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter
THE Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) has said it will start levying all sportspersons in the country in line with its objectives and mandate as enshrined in the SRC Act.

The country’s supreme sports body said it was mandatory for all sportspersons in a club or sport and recreation organisation to pay an annual levy of $4 to the SRC. The money is supposed to be collected by all national sports associations.

“This is a requirement in line with the SRC regulations and this will enable us to offer them the services they want from us. The money we collect from athletes is ploughed back to them,” said SRC acting director-general Joseph Muchechetere.

He said in pursuit of the SRC objectives and mandate, all sporting and recreational facilities, whether publicly or privately owned, shall be registered and issued with a registration certificate and operator’s licence.

“This includes stadia, small or big, halls, gymnasiums, national and local parks, dams and man-made lakes, golf courses, motor racing courses and any other facility used for sports and recreation purposes.

“Of late there has been an upsurge of sport organisations offering various sports education, and there’s need to ensure that the quality of the product being offered is up to standard and contributes to the development of sport and recreation in the country.

“It is our role to register and regulate such organisations. We are obligated to ensure that the sporting and general public is not fleeced of their hard earned money through bogus organisations,” said Muchechetere.

He said all sporting and recreation events must be cleared by the SRC, irrespective of who would have organised them.

“Non-sport and recreation organisations, which include, corporates, State enterprises and parastatals, churches, schools, tertiary institutions, civic group, voluntary and charity organisations as well as trusts organising sport and recreation programmes, events, championship for whatever reason shall register and obtain a licence to organise such events. This is to ensure that the general public has the assurance that the event has the blessings of the regulator of the sector.”