June 19, 2010
By Malcolm Conn
David Coltart is the acceptable face of Zimbabwe cricket.
A human rights lawyer and now Education, Sport, Arts and Culture Minister in Zimbabwe’s fragile inclusive government, Coltart shares a cabinet room with the man who once apparently ordered his assassination, brutal dictator Robert Mugabe.
Attempting to rebuild a shattered country many feared would become another Somalia, the least bloody choice for the opposition Movement for Democratic Change in 2008 was to try to work with those who shattered it, and Coltart is using cricket as a vehicle for reconciliation.
He was in New Zealand and Australia this past week thawing relations with both governments and pleading with cricket officials to resume tours. So well was Coltart accepted, tours involving Australia A are expected to begin within a year.
“The decision the combined MDC made was to avoid the loss of hundreds of thousands of lives we would reach this agreement, brokered by the region, which involved us swallowing hard and entering into an agreement with a political party which had been responsible for hundreds of activists’ deaths and gross acts of corruption.
“I’ve had to approach my job as minister in the same way because I firmly believe this is the only viable non-violent option open to us as a country.
“The price is that people like Robert Mugabe are still in office, and the same applies to cricket, but one cannot live in the past. One has to move on.”
Cricket is often regarded as a microcosm of its country and this is no different in Zimbabwe, where the internationally disgraced hierarchy of Zimbabwe Cricket destroyed the game at all levels simply to stay in power.
Like the elite enjoying Mugabe’s patronage, they wanted to keep their snouts in the trough as television broadcasters and the International Cricket Council continued to pour millions into the pathetic rump that became Zimbabwe cricket.
“Zimbabwe cricket has been through a terrible 10 years and almost died but I think we are seeing its resurgence,” Coltart said.
“There are still obviously many problems within cricket and one has to see this as a process of transformation which is going to take some years, not just in terms of performances on the field but the way we run our cricket.”
So close is ZC president Peter Chingoka considered to be to the Mugabe regime, he is one of the few dozen Zimbabweans banned from visiting the EU, UK and Australia, forcing the ICC to move this month’s annual meeting from London to Singapore.
“Just as Robert Mugabe is a reality . . . likewise Peter Chingoka is president of Zimbabwe Cricket and without acting unconstitutionally and unlawfully myself I cannot lawfully remove him from that office,” Coltart said.
Former players and administrators have returned to the game, improving Zimbabwe’s performance to the point where in a seven-match triangular one-day series it hosted this month, Zimbabwe beat a weakened India twice and Sri Lanka once, making the final in front of India.
Coltart hopes Zimbabwe can resume playing Test cricket against weaker nations such as Bangladesh as soon as next year.
Chingoka and ZC chief executive Ozias Bvute, are believed by some to be behind an insidious behind-the-scenes campaign against Australasia’s nomination of John Howard as a future ICC president because of his strident opposition to the Mugabe regime.
What should have been a rubber stamp after Australia and New Zealand eventually settled their differences to nominate the former Australian prime minister has now become an embarrassing vote at the ICC’s annual meeting, which begins tomorrow week.
Not surprisingly, Chingoka and Bvute have hardly been forthcoming with Coltart, who has no direct role with ZC, but his influence is significant and he is determined to re-engage with Australia and New Zealand.
“I have spoken to Zimbabwe Cricket about this (Howard). They say they have not reached a decision,” Coltart said.
“I’ve reached a consensus with them. I as minister and they as Zimbabwe Cricket recognise it’s important that we normalise our relations with all cricket associations.
“Unless we do, we’re not going to achieve our aim of improving Zimbabwe cricket.
“One can hardly normalise relations with New Zealand Cricket and Cricket Australia if our first act is going to be to stand in the way of their preferred choice. Zimbabwe Cricket understand that.”
The ICC annual meeting this month will highlight just how well ZC does understand this.