Nehanda Radio
By Losson Mtongwiza
6th February 2015
The current debate about whether Cuthbert Dube must go or not baffle’s the mind. I feel I need to add my own two cents.
When the current Ministry of Sport was created as a standalone ministry, most of us sports loving people celebrated as we thought finally this country would realise its potential.
We thought the perennial problems in sports would be taken care of and our brothers, sisters and children would achieve great things for our beloved nation. Alas, a year and a half later we are still to see the results or it seems dark days are here to stay.
When the standalone ministry was created we expected the new ministry to:
– create a sports policy for the country
– canvas support and create tax incentives for companies that support sport
– create a fund to help support all national teams
These would have been the minimum we expected from our new sports leaders. Instead we are made to understand that one of the associations, Zifa, have unaudited accounts.
The president does not attend matches and some of his board members do not like him anymore.
Better still the Zifa president promised the nation that he will move his association to a profit making organisation and he will bring a lot of new sponsorship? Really?
Is this what our Ministry of Sports is all about?
That Dube has not achieved, and for that the deputy minister has come down to spearhead a campaign to have this man removed. This is absurd to say the least.
So Madam Kanengoni-Malinga, where is the detailed plan on how we will proceed when Mr Dube does resign on his own accord and we are not kicked out of Fifa?
How are you going to turn around the fortunes of Zifa?
I don’t know Cuthbert Dube neither do I support him. However he is not operating in a vacuum.
He is operating in a country where companies are struggling.
Companies are closing. Granted, he has made some mistakes and he will need to leave his office one day. Not having his accounts audited is not something to be proud of and that I do not condone.
My point is the very ministry that want this man out has not created a policy so that their own arm, which they are in control of, which controls all these associations, makes sure that Zifa’s books are audited.
The Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) was created to help the ministry with supervising all associations.
Why then do we now have a deputy minister coming down to associations and voicing their concerns?
The ministry should be there to create policies that ensure the smooth running of sport in this country and that includes having audited accounts.
It includes making sure that associations adhere to their constitution.
The ministry is not doing this and all the major things we expected from them but instead they are coming down to fight various characters in associations.
Really, this is just politicking. The ministry has a lot of work and they need to start doing it.
Association presidents that are not doing the right things will be taken care of by their policies. Simply put, Madame Deputy Minister, you have no business coming down to the associations!
Former Sports Minister David Coltart was also at one time involved in the Zifa problems. He tried to fix football in this country.
It is the biggest sport in the country, no doubt, but my observation is they are all firefighting instead of creating policies that help Zifa and all sporting associations in the country.
The current ministry has played lip service to helping Zifa and sports in Zimbabwe.
We humbly await the day when you put policies that will enable all associations to receive national team funding and auditing is pollicised just as easily.
Zifa is just like any other association.
*Losson Mtongwiza is former Zimbabwe Rugby Union vice-president and national team manager.