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rugby

Petros Kausiyo, Harare Bureau
FORMER Sables winger Russell Karimazondo has bounced back into the trenches of the game after being appointed the Zimbabwe Rugby Union interim president yesterday.

Karimazondo, who made his Test debut for the Sables in 1998 in a star-studded outfit that hosted Wales in Harare in June that year under the captaincy of Brendon Dawson, has been given six months to restore order in a ZRU administration that has been terribly worn down by infighting.

Sport and Recreation Minister Makhosini Hlongwane, flanked by the Sport and Recreation Commission board chairman Edward Siwela, announced the five-member interim executive that Karimazondo will lead at the ZRU.

The appointment comes three weeks after the Sports Commission announced the dissolution of the executive led by Nyararai Sibanda.

Former Harare province and Old Hararians chairman Bongai Zamchiya, Judith Chiyangwa —the first female vice-president of the ZRU in 2010, Tungamirai Mashungu, an ex- Harare province interim chairman who also served as national Under-20 team manager at the Junior World Rugby Trophy finals, are also part of the board.

Ex-ZRU president Sithembelenkosi Sibanda, who led the union in 2010, is also part of the cast that has been tasked with rebuilding the association.

Hlongwane said his Ministry, the Sports Commission and the interim board will work hand in glove with international bodies – World Rugby and Rugby Africa -to help restore sanity in the domestic game that had been torn apart by seemingly endless internal strife.

The problems in ZRU had reached such a low point that it had was now negatively impacting on the nationals teams with the Sables, in particular, being the worst affected where coach Cyprian Mandenge even operated without any assistant on the technical bench.

In the just-ended 2017 Africa Gold Cup, the Sables, who narrowly escaped relegation from Group A1, were a caricature of the side that Karimazondo featured in and which included the likes of Victor Olonga, John Ewing, Kennedy Tsimba, Modekai “Bhuru’’ Mwerenga, Graham Campbell, Brendan French and Neil Nortje.

Now the former Sables left wing and his colleagues on the interim board face the huge task of installing the structures at ZRU and ensuring that the union regains control of all facets of rugby in the country as the local game’s mother body.

But with all the members of the committee being seasoned administrators, Karimazondo will not be short of experienced hands to support him and Hlongwane and Siwela were yesterday upbeat that the quintet will deliver on their mandate.

Hlongwane said the appointment of the interim executive at ZRU had been on the recommendations of the Sports Commission board and was in line with the Sport and Recreation Commission Act.

“Following the suspension of the Zimbabwe Rugby Union by the Sport and Recreation Commission with effect from 8 August, 2017, I have on the recommendation of the Sport and Recreation board appointed an interim committee in accordance with Section 30, subsection 2 of the Sport and Recreation Act (Chapter 25:15) which states that:

“…the Minister may on the recommendation of, or after consultation with, the board appoint a committee to administer the affairs of the association concerned.

“The committee’s tenure shall not be more than six months and may not be renewable subject to the exigencies or demands of setting the Zimbabwe Rugby Union on a functional trajectory.

“The terms of reference of the interim committee shall be as according to Section 30 (3) of the Sport and Recreation Commission Act (Chapter 25:15) and as elaborated by the Sport and Recreation Commission board.

“I would like to wish the interim committee all the best in dispensing their duties,’’ Hlongwane said.

Siwela said the interim board would have the full authority to administer the game in the country in the next half year.

“Their biggest task is to restore sanity to rugby. We would like them in the interim to put rugby back into a firmer footing.

“There were many divisions which consequently affected the national teams’ performances,’’ Siwela said.

Siwela also acknowledged that one of the challenges in the domestic game had been the parallel structures that have resulted in Sevens and schools rugby running their own shows while the ZRU seemed to be only a union for the Sables.

“In terms of the SRC Act the interim committee has the full powers and have the authority to run all forms of rugby in the country,’’ Siwela said.

The long-serving Sports Commission board chairman also spoke about reports that suspended ZRU vice-president Noddy Kanyangarara had threatened to appeal against their dissolution.

“We operate in terms of the rule of natural justice and it requires that everybody be given an opportunity to be heard.

“ZRU were given that opportunity to respond to the allegations levelled against them and they reacted by not submitting any report but that opportunity had been availed to them.

“They had a chance to give their side of the story and they chose one of the ways to respond which was silence,’’ Siwela said.

Siwela also allayed fears that their move may fall foul with World Rugby.

“The action that has been taken by the SRC is in terms of the laws of the country. It’s a constitutional process and international bodies acknowledge that all associations operate and should abide by the laws of the country.

“So their constitutions do not override the laws of the country and as SRC we are happy to engage with all structures that are above the ZRU that is the African body and World Rugby,’’ Siwela said.

Hlongwane, keen to ensure there would be no recurrence of problems at the union, also added that he wanted the reconstruction work of the ZRU to be done with the “input and wisdom of World Rugby.”