Chronicle Editor
Eddie Chikamhi, Harare Bureau
TAVENGWA Mukuhlani says they will not take the decision by the Sports and Rdcreation Commission lying down after the government agency last Friday suspended the entire Zimbabwe Cricket board on allegations of defying a Government order to suspend their elective Annual General Meeting.
ZC’s Acting Managing Director Givemore Makoni was also suspended. SRC said they noted electoral malpractices and financial mismanagement as the other reason for the suspension.
But Mukuhlani yesterday maintained his board is still in the office after winning elections on June 14.
He said SRC erred in that they didn’t give them the right to be heard. He also alleged that the new SRC board chairman, Gerald Mlotshwa, was using his office to fight personal vendettas with him.
“In so far as we are concerned we are a legitimate board, we were properly elected through a proper electoral process.
“We have never been asked to be heard by the SRC Board of which we are entitled to be heard. The chairman of the SRC cannot be the judge, the complainant and the police. There is no law like that.
“He has never met Zimbabwe Cricket and in his first meeting he suspends the ZC Board. That’s absurd. As per the provision of the Act we were supposed to be invited for a hearing.
“They are using the documentation that was submitted by the push committee to Minister Kazembe Kazembe when he was still the minister (of Sport) and it was championed by the now chairman of the SRC.
“So he is only furthering the agenda that he had always had. It would appear that the SRC chairman came with a resolution when he was appointed to the Board.
“It is very clear. Gerald Mlotshwa wanted to liquidate Zimbabwe Cricket. In essence he wanted to remove the board. So he is only fulfilling his desire by abusing Section 30 of the SRC Act and abusing his new office. We will not sit back, we will fight for justice.
“We will not allow the SRC chairman to use bullying tactics to make associations surrender to his agenda. Gerald should have recused himself from issues to do with ZC because he is conflicted.
“In any case he has raised allegations and they remain allegations until proven true. As it stands everyone at ZC is innocent until proven guilty,” said Mukuhlani.
He also denied allegations of financial impropriety. Mukuhlani said they will not co-operate with a new audit to be instituted by SRC until they get results from a Government-instituted audit that has been taking place.
“We have had an audit since last year, which was supposed to end in November but SRC for their own convenience are terminating the contract of the auditor without giving us the findings of that audit.
“So we are clear in our conscience that SRC wants to manipulate the audit. They have a predetermined outcome. That’s why they want a new audit and we are not going to accept that. We will only accept an audit that comes from the ICC.
“We have been working with the auditors, we co-operated. Remember that audit was instituted by the Minister and we cooperated with him full and all we are saying is SRC should give us the results of that audit,” said Mukuhlani.
Online Reporter