The entire Zimbabwe Cricket Board was suspended with immediate effect by the Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC), a goverment parastatal and the governing organisation of all registered sporting associations in the country, on Friday. As per a press release, ZC acting managing director Givemore Makoni was also suspended from his position.
The release adds that David Ellman-Brown, Ahmed Ibrahim, Charlie Robertson, Cyprian Mandenge, Robertson Chinyengetere, Sekesai Nhokwara and Duncan Frost were announced as an interim committee to run the sport in the country.
The move from the SRC came a week after it issued a directive that ZC’s elective annual general meeting be suspended alleging complaints about the nomination process and the violation of ZC’s constitution, as well as “various other controversies”. The directive was ignored by the cricket board, and Tavengwa Mukuhlani was re-elected for another four-year term following the meeting.
The decision prompted the SRC to invoke its powers under the SRC act.
The SRC stressed it was forced to act after several complaints of various violations of the constitution and other controversies. “It cannot be in national interest that a national sporting association continues to conduct itself in a manner that it suggests that it and its officials are a law unto themselves. Certain of its office bearers, past and present, have been the subject matter of allegations involving fraud exchange control violations and other acts of corruption and criminality related to the monies and assets of Zimbabwe Cricket and the International Cricket Council,” the SRC release said.
“It is a matter of documented public knowledge that Zimbabwe Cricket has been the subject matter of several controversies over the years. There have been allegations of outright disregard for its own constitution, neglect of the development of the game and related infrastructure throughout the country.
{{/usCountry}}“It is a matter of documented public knowledge that Zimbabwe Cricket has been the subject matter of several controversies over the years. There have been allegations of outright disregard for its own constitution, neglect of the development of the game and related infrastructure throughout the country.
{{/usCountry}}“At different times, and on at least two different occasions, the SRC has intervened, suspended officials and board members, without the involvement of ICC, respecting the application of the domestic laws of Zimbabwe, particularly in those instances where the concerns of the respective parties coincided in the ICC’s articles and Zimbabwe Cricket’s own constitution.”
“The fact that Zimbabwe Cricket is a Full Member of the International Cricket Council does not mean that it is not subject to the laws of Zimbabwe, in particular the provisions of the SRC Act,” the press statement released by the SRC said