The Sunday News
Mehluli Sibanda, Senior Sports Reporter
THE Sports and Recreation Commission has thrown its weight behind Zimbabwe Cricket board amid calls for the Tavengwa Mukuhlani leadership to resign.
SRC acting director-general Joseph Muchechetere said they were waiting for communication from ZC regarding the decision to sack the Heath Streak-led technical team. ZC decided to show the Streak-led technical department the door after failure by the Chevrons to qualify for the 2019 International Cricket Council Cricket World Cup in England.
“We are waiting for official communication from both parties, especially Zimbabwe Cricket. We need a report from ZC, we need to know what the agreement between them and their coach was, we want facts before saying the whole structure must crumble. We want to understand why ZC fired coaches,’’ Muchechetere said.
A group led by United Kingdom-based former first class cricketer Patrick Gada has over the last few days threatened to collapse the ZC board. The grouping has roped in former ZC employees and Norton Member of Parliament Temba Mliswa who addressed a Press conference in Harare last Friday. Mliswa is part of committee that seeks to push the ZC out of office.
Muchechetere said until the group comes out and state its objectives then they cannot grant them audience. He clearly stated that Gada and his group have no powers to call the Mukuhlani board illegitimate.
“Until they come out and tell us their objectives so that they can be heard, they have no authority, they have no right to say go out of office, where are they getting their powers from?” he said.
The SRC acting DG said they cannot allow anarchy to prevail in sport, therefore there was a need to follow procedure.
“We don’t want to create chaos and confusion. There are procedures in which sports and recreation organisations operate. Until they come officially to us we don’t know them, they should approach the ZC board and air their grievances.’’
Gada did not respond to questions sent to him by Sunday News Sport by electronic mail, instead he posted this reporter’s questions on the WhatsApp group he established and sought to ridicule them. When pressed further, Gada who was fired by ZC after a formal hearing before he left for UK accused the journalist of wasting his time.
The 39-year-old Gada has been making all sorts of threats to the Mukuhlani board, to the extent of informing them that they are history and should resign.
Former Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture David Coltart has also been vocal on social media, making all sorts of accusations against the ZC board. Coltart declined to answer a list of questions sent to him.
ZC managing director Faisal Hasnain said all the problems at the organisation are linked to the legacy debt left by previous boards. The debt is believed to be around $19 million and has affected ZC’s ability to run a competitive domestic league, host international tours and pay staff salaries on time.
Hasnain, a former ICC chief financial officer has for months been in Dubai where he is trying to find a solution to the ZC financial crisis.
“The financial issues are the big problem, we need to resolve those as they are holding us back. We are trying to find a solution, the visit by the ICC chairman at our request last year was part of the plans to try and find a solution,’’ Hasnain said.
He also confirmed that ZC received a letter from Streak’s lawyers challenging his sacking which they have since passed on to their legal representatives.
