shloboe boe
Lovemore Dube
THE Zimbabwe Saints board of trustees has appointed Tawanda Ruzive club chairman and asked him to deliver Premier Soccer League football to the institution.
Ruzive a former owner of Premiership side Quelaton, has also been board member finance for the Zifa Southern Region at some stage and has supported Saints from his early life in Shurugwi, Midlands Province.
Saints who at their peak were known as Chiwororo or Chikwata are among one of the oldest football clubs in the land, having been established in 1931.
With two league championships and other pieces of silverware, they are Bulawayo’s second most successful club after 1963.
In an interview yesterday morning, Zimbabwe Saints president of the trustees, the club elders, Vincent Pamire, confirmed the appointment of a new executive that has seen some former players based in the diaspora given roles.
“To qualify for the Premier League,” Pamire said is the target Ruzive has been set with his executive, which includes former defender Lovejoy Mugadza, Caleb Sengu as secretary-general.
Marketing man, Joseph Nkani who is based in Harare will be in charge of the portfolio, with legendary club and Zimbabwe footballer, Godfrey Paradza in charge of development.
Charles Ngarava will be the club’s organising secretary.
There was room too for two other club legends, Ephraim Chawanda to be board member responsible for mobilising resources and membership in Botswana and South Africa, Muzondiwa Mugadza in the UK and Europe while John Homera an all-weather friend of the past of the club is in charge in the US and Canada.
Musa Mandaza who appears to have left a big void in the Southern Region, has been co-opted as a committee member based in Bulawayo.
“This should be a winning team. We have all the confidence in them,” said Pamire.
Pamire said in arriving with the new structure, the trustees had met those that have been running the club and appointed Ruzive, Mugadza and Sengu who had gone on to identify and appoint their own team to work with.
“We had a meeting to discuss Saints issues with interested parties, the trustees and other people who have been running Zimbabwe Saints, we came up with an executive to run the club for a year in the interim so that the team plays, we have put Ruzive who is the chairman, Mugadza, Lovejoy who is the vice-chairman, we put Sengu and allowed them to bring others, they came up with a whole list of names, which we endorsed,” said Pamire.
Meanwhile, the club is considering Philani Ncube and Zimiseleni Moyo for the coaching job left vacant by Roger Ndlovu.
Pamire said a board will soon be appointed as they are doing necessary consultations that satisfy a majority of the membership.
Saints executive: T Ruzive (chairman), L Mugadza (vice chairman), C Sengu (secretary), C Ngarava (Organising Secretary), E Dube (Operations), G Paradza (Development), J Nkani (Marketing), E Chawanda, M Mugadza, J Homera, M Mandaza (Committee Members)
Online Reporter