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Eddie Chikamhi, Senior Sports Reporter
The Sports and Recreation Commission has been urged by Parliament to crack the whip in order to improve governance of sports in Zimbabwe.
The Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Sports and Recreation led by Chamu Chiwanza urged the national sports regulator to invoke the SRC Act without exceptions after it emerged, during a midweek session in Parliament, that most of the associations were reeling off tune.
Despite the success of the national women’s netball team by qualifying for two successive World Cups, it was revealed netball is one of the sport codes that is on the brink due to a constitutional crisis that has gone unresolved for several years.
The Sports Commission and the Portfolio Committee are currently sitting on a petition that was delivered by netball stakeholders last week. This is one of the several petitions that have been crafted by the stakeholders in the last few years.
The concerned stakeholders have alleged “gross irregularities” and incompetence in the Zimbabwe Netball Association (ZINA), the disregard and violation of the association’s constitution as well as ZINA’s failure to meet the requirements of the SRC Act.
SRC chairman Gerald Mlotshwa said netball’s challenges were documented.
“Netball has had issues from the time that we took office as commissioners in 2019. They were already issues then, and those issues have continued to the present day. We have endeavoured to deal with those issues quietly, and with some sort of dignity, and most importantly in a way that would not have prejudiced the Gems because it’s a team that has done well,” said Mlotshwa.
“They qualified for two World Cups during the time that we have been in office. So, there was always that need to balance your actions against reciprocal action that may have detrimental effects on the team that was performing well.
“Last week, we received as SRC a petition, a thick one, signed by various stakeholders in netball. We have directed the stakeholders and guided them as to how they should to deal with that issue in a way that is constitutional. What we didn’t want was to jump in and create issues,” said Mlotshwa.
Chiwanza said SRC should invoke the sections of the Act. The committee requested the Sports Commission to compile a report outlining the challenges in sports administration in the country.
The parliamentarians were astonished there was a registered Beach football association in Zimbabwe, yet there is neither a registered beach football pitch nor league running in the country.
SRC were taken to task by parliamentarians over the status of the association, which is believed to be continuously receiving grants from the international federation when there is no league nor development of the sport taking place in Zimbabwe.
“Beach football is registered with SRC. But beach football is not happening. We don’t register non-existent organisations. At the point of registration, we assess every association.
“They have to be active in at least four provinces. At the time of the registration the beach football administrators showed us evidence they were active. But it seems that after the registration they have not been active.
“They have not given us their audited financial statements and that is why they are under the black category,” said SRC director-general Eltah Nengomasha.
Beach football is among several associations that have not been compliant and do not submit audited financial statements.
“In terms of the SRC Act and subsequent regulations, once you are non-compliant it means that when you request clearances to travel outside Zimbabwe we do not clear them and when you want funding in terms of grants from Government, we do not give grants.”
Parliament hinted that a hearing should take place at Zimbabwe Rugby Union after newly appointed Mashonaland West Rugby chairperson Temba Mliswa alleged that there was corruption, racism and constitutional challenges within the association.
Online Reporter