Story by Lawrence Trusida, Sports Editor
THE Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) has appointed an Interim Management Committee (IMC) to take charge of rugby affairs in the country after the suspension of the Zimbabwe Rugby Union (ZRU) board last week.
The five-member committee, chaired by business executive Paddy Zhanda (Junior), has been given a one-year tenure and is expected to be in office for the next year.
Other members of the committee include banker, Latifa Kassim, sports scientist and former youth coach, Garette Crabbe, lawyer, Wellington Magaya, and technical expert, Godwin Murambiwa.
The IMC is expected to review the ZRU constitution leading into elections within the next 18 months.
“The IMC’s mandate has been clearly set out and includes: restoring financial accountability within the Zimbabwe Rugby Union; ensuring uninterrupted participation in domestic and international competitions; preparing effectively for the 2027 World Cup through a High-Performance Strategy; initiating a constitutional review process; safeguarding the welfare and dignity of all athletes, including the Lady Sables; and liaising directly with World Rugby to unlock financial and technical support,” SRC vice-chairperson, Shingai Ruhwaya outlined.
With Zimbabwean football still recovering from suspension by FIFA over third-party interference, the SRC contends everything was done in consultation with World Rugby.
“After the successful World Cup qualification, both World Rugby and Africa Rugby engaged Zimbabwe to assist our audience. Their conclusions were very sobering, the governance state of Zimbabwe Rugby Union risked blocking critical technical and financial support. The President of Rugby Africa, Mr Herbert Mensa, wrote to the SRC board and provided a set of recommendations that included, among them, the dissolution of the then-current ZRU board. Their observations aligned with our previous calls as the SRC over the years for the rugby body to regularise its operations,” Rushwaya said.
“The stark reality was that Zimbabwe could have even faced suspension by the continental and international rugby bodies without audited financial statements, which had not been submitted for two consecutive years. No external support could be extended to Zimbabwe rugby. When we got a clarion call from Rugby Africa and World Rugby, we were then aware that we did not invite the wrath of unintended consequences. With that in mind, we then acted in what we still believe is the best interest of the country.”
The IMC will get down to business immediately, with some members expected to be added to the committee, while sub-committees will also be created to ensure rugby gets back to its former state.
Zimbabwe rugby descended into chaos after last year’s elections, with factionalism becoming the order of the day, breaking down order, with allegations of corruption making headlines.
After the country qualified for the 2027 Rugby World Cup earlier this year, the union descended into chaos, forcing the SRC and Rugby Africa to intervene.
