Chronicle Editor
Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter
THE Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) has been requested to investigate the appointment of Prince Mupazviriho as Sports and Recreation Commission director-general.
In a letter to the anti-graft body which Chronicle Sport is in possession of, some candidates that applied for the director-general’s post when it was advertised, said Mupazviriho was allegedly appointed without following the SRC Act, Chapter 25: 15 of 1991 and revised in 1996, and the Public Entities Corporate Governance Act, Chapter 10:31 of 2018.
They said the SRC is a public organisation mandated by an Act of Parliament to ensure proper corporate governance prevails in all sport and recreation associations and industry, but it was alarming that the commission was publicly promoting corruption and bad corporate governance in the way it discharges its own business.
“Surely if its mandate is to oversee the implementation of proper governance in the country, why would they do the opposite? They are seen publicly flouting the laws which establishes them. The SRC preaches good corporate governance during the day and does the opposite at night. It’s a shame,” part of the letter reads.
“The legislation is very clear and elaborate in the procedure on appointment of the director-general or chief executive officer, that is, the SRC Act, Section (24) and the Public Entities Corporate Governance Act, Section (17).
Unfortunately in the case of the SRC, the sitting director-general, Prince Mupazviriho, was helicoptered in clandestinely in November 2018 to become the substantive director-general, disregarding the provision of the law and discarding recommendations made by the previous SRC board which had carried out interviews,” reads the dossier.
They said that after failing to make the cut when President Emmerson Mnangagwa reappointed permanent secretaries, Mupazviriho, who was permanent secretary in the Ministry of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation, was somehow kept in the system by the Public Service Commission before he was “clandestinely” brought to the SRC without going through the interviews as was called for by the SRC board and dictated by the two legislations.
“The SRC board placed three separate adverts for (the) director-general post from 2017 to 2018. He never applied and never participated in the said interviews carried out by the SRC board.
Clearly, he took advantage of the absence of the SRC board and Minister Kirsty Coventry, who had just been appointed and was away on business to land comfortably in this critical post. We call on Zacc to deal with this vice which has the propensity to destroy the sport and recreation industry and economy.
“The whole sport and recreation industry is waiting to see what Zacc is going to do to deal with this corrupt appointment without due regard for existing legislation in place.
True, the whole industry, including the candidates who were successful, were taken by surprise to see a person without proper qualifications in sport and recreation being helicoptered in for the post.
This is corruption at its worst in sport and recreation and moreso when it’s being practiced by a public organisation which is supposed to be the champion of good corporate governance.”
The director-general post became vacant in May 2016 upon the retirement of Charles Nhemachena.
Online Reporter