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Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter

NETBALL administrators who had petitioned the Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) over a cocktail of corporate governance violations by Zimbabwe Netball Association (Zina) have received with mixed feelings, the Commission’s directive.

In a directive last week, the country’s supreme sports body ordered Zina to formally register the breakaway Glow Petroleum-sponsored Rainbow Amateur Netball League (Ranl) as an affiliate as well as to hold an elective annual general meeting by no later than January 31, 2020.

“It’s a step in the right direction that the SRC has taken as these people have just been playing silly politics in as far as registering Ranl was concerned. However, this was not the only point which we raised on our petition,” said the administrator speaking on condition of anonymity.

Another administrator concurred and said the SRC ought to have investigated the issues raised especially involving serious abuse of office by the Zina leadership, embezzlement of funds as well as failure to adhere to the dictates of the SRC-registered constitution.

“Look there are a number of issues and to just try and sweep them under the carpet by ordering fresh elections will not help the sport especially if those elections will still be held under the same conditions which have always favoured those in office. The constitution has been trampled upon, structures are not in existence because people have jumped ship to Ranl,” she said.

She added that the best way was for SRC to probably set up a netball normalisation committee that will run the game as well as organise the elections which will give everyone equal opportunity to be elected into office.

“We, however, are grateful to the SRC for what they have done although we would have wanted them to dig even deeper and rid the game of all its evil,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Rainbow Amateur League looks set for a photo finish after second placed Zimbabwe Defence Forces Queens shocked previously unbeaten Correctional Services Queens at Chikurubi Grounds in a match that was watched by the Ranl presidium as well as the sponsor, Aaron Chinhara, the owner and managing director of Glow Petroleum.

The soldiers won 52-44 over the prison warders.

“I wanted to prove a point to everyone that Correctional can be beaten. They have been judging us based on the two losses that we have, hence today’s surprise.

“Our aim was to beat Correctional and show everyone that it is possible. People think they are invincible.

“We were tactically good.

“We changed our players’ positions just to confuse our opponents. Sometimes teams plan and train according to a team that they usually play but today they lost it.

“My target still remains the same. We want to finish in the top three nothing less,” ZDF coach Joey Sibanda told our Harare Bureau.

Correctional assistant coach Faith Makoni said they will work harder to retain the title. “The match was exciting and since it is our first defeat it gave us a wake up call on our strengths and weaknesses.

“We are going to work harder looking at our weaknesses.

“The ball is round. You can line up players according to your game-plan but it will end up not coming out as you wish.

“It wasn’t our day. We don’t underestimate any team in this league. We work accordingly and if we see that the team is strong we up our game.

“We just need to work harder for the remaining fixtures so that we retain our title,” said Makoni.