The Sunday News
SEVERAL sports stakeholders feel they were left out of the process of crafting the national sports policy which is now at a draft stage.
The stakeholders include Tennis Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe National Boxing and Wrestling Board of Control and the Premier Soccer League.
However, other associations such as the Zimbabwe Rugby Union, Zimbabwe Cricket and the National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe confirmed participation and giving input.
The creation of the national sports policy is driven by the Ministry of Sports, Arts and Culture, through the Sports and Recreation Commission. The Sports Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Thokozile Chitepo, last week said they were in the final stages of compiling the document that would be handed over to Cabinet for final deliberations within the next two months.
She, however, said a validation meeting involving all stakeholders would be held before Cabinet approval was sought.
TZ president Regis Bhunu said they did not make any input and were not invited to participate in the process adding that he was not aware why his association was snubbed.
“No invitation came to my office, maybe SRC could have made the input on our behalf. I have also not seen the draft and if it has been sent to my office I am yet to see it I will have to check,” he said, adding they are eager to make input of their own.
ZNBWBC chairman Paul Nenjerama echoed Bhunu’s words saying no invitation was extended to them but they were eager to assist in crafting the policy.
PSL chief executive officer Kennedy Ndebele expressed dismay that the process was nearing completion without the League having being consulted adding they had a lot of issues they wanted included in the policy to ensure success of the country’s most popular sport. He said the sports policy was the right framework for them to become operational. If the PSL was excluded, Ndebele said the development would be “disastrous for the sporting industry”.
“I think a sports policy should be able to address the issue of levies, which we are worried are bleeding clubs and at the same time those same clubs have to fund their own youth development and there is little in the form of assistance clubs are getting particularly from bodies such as the SRC.
“We should be able to get tax rebates say for instance when a team wants to bring in sports equipment and even things such as buses because they are a critical component in ensuring that sport is played,” said Ndebele.
PSL clubs pay various levies including six percent of gate takings for each match to the SRC and another eight percent to Zifa.
Ndebele said another important issue was that of incentives for sponsors, which should be clearly addressed in the sports policy to encourage companies to fund sport.
“Football is the most popular sport in the country and the PSL contributes a lot of talent to national teams hence we believe we should have been given an opportunity to make an input.
“We celebrated when an independent Ministry of Sport was established but we are dismayed that it is taking long to turn into gains for the sporting world because we are yet to enjoy benefits from having that ministry,” he said.
Ndebele bemoaned customs tariffs which he felt negatively affected the price of football boots resulting in players having to use the same footwear when either playing on a hard surface, wet surface, artificial surface or lawn.
“I do not see why we should be having such duties on sports footwear when we do not have industries to protect. We now also have a situation where teams are forced to wear a kit per match but they now use it for six months because of the expenses involved in acquiring uniforms,” he said.
Highlanders FC chief executive officer Ndumiso Gumede said he attended the symposium held at Bulawayo Polytechnic but the invitation was in his personal capacity.
He said top on most participants’ lists was the issue of funding but added he was yet to receive a copy of the draft and could not comment on its contents.
ZRU vice-president Nyararai Sibanda said he was comfortable with the process as they had been invited to both meetings in Bulawayo and Harare and had made their contributions, adding that he was still studying the draft.
SRC sports development director Joseph Muchechetere confirmed some of the bodies had not been invited but added they would be taking views from those stakeholders as they were yet to conclude the process.
“Most leagues that fall under associations were not invited including PSL, rugby league but we were inviting their mother associations. The process is not over and we will be inviting those we are yet to consult,” said Muchechetere.
