The Sunday News
Mehluli Sibanda, Senior Sports Reporter
THE Sports and Recreation has shown intentions to challenge the Administrative Court ruling which put aside the four- year ban handed down on former Zimbabwe Cricket chairman Wilson Manase.
SRC acting director-general Joseph Muchechetere told Sunday News that the supreme sports governing body in the country has notified the Supreme Court of its intention to have the judgment which quashed their ban on Manase to be overturned.
Administration Court Judge Hebert Mandeya ruled at the beginning of last month that the SRC had passed the ban on Manase without inviting him to make any representation. The SRC, through its lawyers Gill, Godlonton and Gerrans want to be given an opportunity to oppose Justice Mandeya’s ruling in the highest court of appeal in the land.
“SRC filed a notice to appeal the Administrative Court ruling at the Supreme Court on 30 September. What we are waiting for is for the parties to submit their heads of arguments. We are appealing the Administrative Court ruling because we believe that the judge erred, he should have referred the issue back to SRC for it to review its judgment. SRC in terms of the act is the regulatory authority for sports and recreation, it has the mandate to discipline, it can suspend individuals or the entire board of any sports association. Any aggrieved party can appeal at the Administrative Court,’’ said Muchechetere.
He pointed out that the SRC has the powers to deal with errant associations and therefore if they do not appeal the judgment then it means that sport would become ungovernable in the country.
Manase has been quoted in some sections of the media stating that he was yearning for a return to cricket but Muchechetere indicated that since SRC is appealing against the Administrative Court ruling, it means the former ZC boss cannot come back to the sport as yet.
In November 2015, the SRC barred Manase from holding any sports administration position for four years. This was after Manase was accused of unilaterally approving the senior national cricket team’s tour of Pakistan. Zimbabwe became the first ever International Cricket Full Member to tour Pakistan since gunmen opened fire on the Sri Lankan team in March 2009.
According to the SRC disciplinary committee ruling, Manase was charged in his personal capacity because by his own admission at the hearing he gave approval for the tour to go ahead. The national cricket team went to Pakistan despite the tour not being cleared by the SRC because of the security risks associated with travelling to the civil war torn Asian country.
Manase became ZC acting chairman in July 2014 when long serving boss Peter Chingoka stepped down. His quest to become the ZC substantive leader ended in defeat to Bulawayo based pharmacist Tavengwa Mukuhlani in August last year. More bad news followed for Manase late last year when he was slapped with the four-year ban by the SRC.
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