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Minister Makhosini Hlongwane

Ngqwele Dube, Sports Correspondent
SPORT and Recreation Minister Makhosini Hlongwane has declared 2017 the year of good governance in sport, saying he hopes to see more inclusiveness, equality, accountability and transparency.

He said the conversation in sport this year is going to be about the quality of administration dispensed by national associations, which he feels has to improve all round.

Minister Hlongwane said his ministry would be leading the charge for more democratic accountability, equity and inclusion in every sport.

“There is need to collapse walls of opacity and install transparency as the hallmark of good governance in our national associations,” he said.

“Associations have to be accountable to the athletes and people who partake in the sport. Democratic accountability speaks to the issues of access to sport and removal of elitism, enclave, and minoritism of sport. Every sport should be open to every Zimbabwean regardless of colour, creed, race and gender.”

He said it was critical for sports associations to be accessible by having known physical office addresses and not operate from some people’s houses.

He said they would also be promoting constitutionalism in sport.

“Constitutions should be followed strictly and adhered to, but that does not mean manipulating them to serve certain interests. The charters should be accessible and easily understood by all involved in that sport code.

“Again financial reports are critical at year end and should be presented to stakeholders as a show of transparency to ensure there is no financial impropriety,” Minister Hlongwane said.

Sport, he said, should undergo structural surgery, which means taking sport away from Harare to areas such as Chikombedzi, Nyanga and Hurungwe as a way of exposing more people to various sporting codes.

He said moves will also be made to embrace the large constituency of rural talent that has been sidelined for a long time and has not been harnessed for the benefit of the nation.