New rugby boss fact file

10 Dec, 2017 - 01:12 0 Views
New rugby boss fact file Aaron Jani

The Sunday News

Aaron Jani

Aaron Jani

Allan Foti
RUGBY fans, there is a new sheriff in town.

Aaron Jani is the Zimbabwe Rugby Union’s (ZRU) new president, having been elected to replace Nyararai Sibanda at an elective Special General Meeting held at Prince Edward High School recently.

Jani has been involved with rugby since 1984 when he enrolled at Milton High School for Form One and got his first taste of the sport. But some will be asking the age-old question — is he the right man for the job?

Other stakeholders in the sport might not be celebrating Jani’s election, but the legendary Sables winger has been a great asset to the sport for 22 years.

The role of the ZRU president comes with a clear mission: to make the union operationally sound again.

Who is Aaron Jani?
Name: Aaron Jani
Born: March 10, 1971 in Chinhoyi
Occupation: ZRU president

Why is he in the news?
Jani is the new head of rugby’s supreme governing body in Zimbabwe after winning the union’s recent elections after his opponent for the top job, Russell Karimazondo unexpectedly pulled out of the race at the last minute citing personal reasons. Jani has previously served as the vice-president (Northern) of the Union.

Jani was one of two former Sables wingers vying for the ZRU presidency along with Karimazondo. Backed by support from most of the eligible voters at the elective Special General Meeting, the boy who grew up in the dusty streets of Mzilikazi was the favourite to win the election.

He succeeds Nyararai Sibanda, who was suspended from all rugby activity by the Sports and Recreation Commission after the Sables dropped from being one of Africa’s best sides to an also ran in just seven months.

What is his manifesto as ZRU president?

One of the biggest changes Jani will have to address will be to revive the national league and streamline schools competitions. He will also seek to create a two-tier league system to ensure all teams are fairly competitive.

The new president will also have to work with a more constrained budget after World Rugby cut its grant from $90 000 describing the ZRU as ‘‘a risky investment’’ due to its lack of corporate governance.

Jani has identified transport and accommodation as the main issues that need to be addressed to ensure a flawless and trouble free national league.
Can he clean up the ZRU?

It is unlikely to happen overnight. The sport has been run under the shadows for a long time and he will need to unravel the complex relationships that have existed to prop up the likes of Colleen de Jong and co for years. He will have to work against the backdrop of massive patronage within rugbycircles reportedly fuelled by a marriage of convenience between Old Georgians and Old Hararians.

However, the approved reforms could alter the future of the sport, possibly leading to a new-and-improved ZRU.

Jani is a successful businessman and runs stock broking firm EFE Securities as well as a mining and chemical supplies firm, EFE Mining and Chemicals. His success in the business world is expected to enable him to help pull the union out of its current governance crises.

Here are a few interesting facts about Jani:

-He is fluent in English, Shona, and Ndebele.
-He grew up in Mzilikazi high-density suburb where his family lived for almost 20 years.
-He attended Fusi, Lobengula and Baines Primary schools in Bulawayo.
-He attended Milton High School for four years before moving to Christian Brothers College on a rugby scholarship.
-He only started playing rugby when he was in Form One.
-His teammates at Milton include former Sables player and later coach, Brandon Dawson, Tendai Tabvuma, Ian Noble whom he later went to play alongside at Old Miltonians and Zimbabwe Under/20.
-Played 30 times for the Sables after making his debut away to Namibia in 1991.
-Started playing for his former club, Old Miltonians while he was still in school.
-Won seven successive national league championships with Old Miltonians.
-His club career saw him play for the same club throughout his career.
-He is a former ZRU vice-president (Northern) serving under former president, Themba Sibanda.
-He was Zimbabwe’s Under/20 chairman for eight years.
-Jani retired as a player in 2008 after 22 years of running the ball across the try line. He faced the likes of Australian legend David Campese and the British Lions during his distinguished Sables career.
-He is a father of two boys (both rugby players) and two girls (also athletes in tennis and hockey)
-He was almost lost to hockey when he was younger, being a proven talent in hockey and describing himself as a better hockey player than rugby player on any given day.

The one thing that is clear is that Jani is determined to drag the sport out of the doldrums and return it to the pinnacle of the African game where it belongs. -@AllanFoti

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