Coltart, Zimbabwe Cricket cross swords

New Zimbabwe

26 January 2013

SPORTS Minister David Coltart has accused Zimbabwe Cricket of playing politics after it rejected his directive on the appointment of national selectors.

Coltart originally wanted all national selectors to have played for the national team in their respective sport, but after a dramatic public showdown with black cricket administrators who claimed the policy was racial, the minister this week amended the directive “in the national interest”.

Instead of all the selectors having to be ex-national team players, the new directive will require that “not less than 50 percent of the selectors shall have represented Zimbabwe as athletes or players at the senior level in the particular sport discipline”.

Cricket and bowls are two of the sports that use a panel of selectors to pick the team.The amended directive says the chairman of the selectors should have played for the national team – which would require that Givemore Makoni, the convenor of selectors for the cricket national team, must give up that post because he has not played for Zimbabwe. He could still sit on the panel as part of the less than 50 percent who have not played at the highest level.

In an extraordinary show of defiance, Zimbabwe Cricket said the directive – which takes effect from February 1 – would require it to change its constitution and terminate contracts with the current selectors.

Wilfred Mukondiwa, the ZC managing director said: “In terms of the Sports and Recreation Commission Act, it does not appear that the Commission can require a national association to amend its constitution in such a manner as to determine the persons who shall take particular positions. That would appear to be micro- managing the national associations which is not consistent with the manifest tenor of the Act.

“The Act empowers the Commission to provide a hands-off oversight role except in case of a disciplinary nature. With respect therefore, it appears that the Commission has no legal capacity to require ZC to do what the directive demands.”

Stung by ZC’s open defiance, Coltart – a member of the MDC led by Welshman Ncube – accused cricket chiefs of playing politics to frustrate him.

“Can you ever imagine Zimbabwe Cricket adopting this attitude if it was a Zanu PF minister involved? Politicians are not just those who have formal political positions,” Coltart said.

Coltart and the Sports Commission appear ready to dig in, while the ZC is readying itself for a season of defiance. The ZC claims there are only 10 ex-Zimbabwe stars who qualify to sit on the panel of selectors – and a countless number of white ex-stars. The accusation is that Coltart’s directive is designed to benefit white former players and crowd out blacks.