Online Reporter
Tinashe Kusema
Zimpapers Sports Hub
PADDY ZHANDA currently finds himself at a crossroads.
The Zimbabwe Rugby Union (ZRU) Interim Management Commitee (IMC) president is nearing the end of his tenure.
He will not be at the helm when the Sables run onto the field at the Rugby World Cup in Australia next year, as members of the IMC will not be eligible to contest when the union hold their elections in 2027.
A new board will inherit the country’s biggest rugby assignment in nearly four decades. However, before handing over, Zhanda wants to complete the union’s governance clean-up, secure the Sables’ World Cup preparations and restore a national league.
Today marks exactly 400 days since Zimbabwe beat Namibia 30-28 on a windy afternoon in Kampala to qualify for the 2027 World Cup.
Zhanda’s final stretch in office has been complicated by allegations of poor player accommodation and unpaid qualification bonuses.
Shelton Chiyangwa, who describes himself as a social advocate, recently accused ZRU on social media of housing Sables players at a dilapidated property in Strathaven.
He alleged that the players were owed a combined US$15 000 for qualifying for Australia 2027. Zhanda emphatically denied both claims.
“I would like to state, categorically, that the house in question has never, ever been used for Sables camps,” he said.
“The property has never been used by the union for encampment. We have a duty of care towards our players and we take that seriously.”
Inquiries by Zimpapers Sports Hub established that the house is closely linked to former Zimbabwe international Brian Nyaude, better known as “Ghost” in rugby circles, hence the name “Ghost House”.
Nyaude, who last played for the Sables in 2024, is understood to have made the property available to players who live outside Harare when they are in the capital on rugby duty.
The arrangement has no formal connection to ZRU.
Since the current Sables Trust was established nearly three years ago, the national team has been housed at a spacious property along Piers Road in Borrowdale. The house has a swimming pool and fitness equipment.
Zhanda rejected the outstanding bonuses claim.
“As far as we are concerned, there are no outstanding payments,” he said. “We try to take the business of rugby very seriously and do not conduct our affairs in a beer hall.
“You are not promised a bonus over a beer, and for any obligation to exist there will certainly have to be a paper trail.
“As things stand, there is no record of any outstanding obligations. It’s very unfortunate that our partners, Nedbank, have been dragged into this.” The dispute comes as Zhanda prepares to leave the union in the hands of an elected board.
He appears at peace with the approaching handover and believes the IMC has fulfilled one of its main mandates by improving ZRU’s standing with World Rugby.
World Rugby chairperson Brett Robinson is due in Zimbabwe for meetings with ZRU and the Sports and Recreation Commission.
Robinson will be accompanied by Rugby Africa president Herbert Mensah and World Rugby’s chief of international federations David Carrigy. Zhanda regards the visit as another sign of the progress made under his administration.
“The World Cup is a double-edged sword,” he said. “What people need to understand is that merely being a World Cup-bound side doesn’t mean that the resources have multiplied.
“It just means that you have doubled the workload, and here things like money and good governance come into play.
“World Rugby’s approach is that if we give you a dollar, you’ve got to find five for yourself. This is why sustainability, revenue-generating programmes and multiple sources of revenue for the union are important.
“If the union is not self-sustaining and is operating on a grant basis, then you are always going to be boom and bust.”
Zhanda said the IMC had completed audits covering three years of financial statements. The accounts are expected to be presented to the union’s stakeholders for adoption.
“We now have the resources in the office to make sure that our accounts are up to date,” he said.
“This was one of the things required by World Rugby, that our governance be up to scratch.
“The same applies to sponsors. They require good governance for us to even begin negotiating or talking about establishing partnerships.
“Putting our house in order is one of the IMC’s biggest success stories.”
On the field, Zhanda considers Zimbabwe’s inclusion in the Nations Cup the biggest gain from World Cup qualification. It gave the Sables an opportunity to face Tonga, the United States and Canada. They have three more assignments in November against Chile, Uruguay and Samoa.
“It really gives you data sets and data points on what we need to adjust and what we are lacking,” said Zhanda.
“The amount of data we collected from the three games is huge. Now it is up to us to find a way to correct our performances and improve.
“The next Nations Cup window in November is a chance for us to take the data and experience we got in July and apply it to our programme.”
The IMC is also drawing up a programme of at least seven Test matches before the 2027 World Cup.
Three are expected to be played in Australia, with the others spread between January and October.
The aim is to ensure Zimbabwe arrive at the tournament ready not only to compete, but to win matches.
Much of that programme will be inherited by the next board.
Zhanda’s final major project is at home, where Zimbabwe still does not have a national league.
“We are at a stage where we are nearly ready to pull the trigger, but the processes must be done properly,” he said.
“We are made up of 10 provincial unions affiliated to ZRU. Each province has been responsible for raising its own sponsorship and making arrangements for rugby to be played in its area.
“There has to be alignment between the clubs, the provinces and ourselves.”
The proposal is for an eight-team competition played on a double round-robin basis, with a mid-season break.
Zhanda did not name the proposed clubs, a sponsor or a starting date.
Money and control of the competition remain among the issues to be settled.
“A sponsor will need to understand who they are interacting with for this league, from whom they demand their rights and to whom they have obligations under the agreement,” Zhanda said.
“It is a process that will require time and diligent effort. The league must also work within and around the Sables’ schedule.
“The way we envision the rugby structure working is that the league must be the base of our pyramid.
“At the top will be the Sables, or what we call high performance. Everything beneath must serve a purpose for that high-performance side.
“The structure must have the very best players in the very best clubs. Those clubs must have the very best coaches, and those coaches must have a game model aligned to the national game model.”
Getting that league off the ground is the final major task Zhanda wants completed before the IMC hands over the Sables to those who will lead them in Australia.
