Tirivashe Nheweyembwa
Senior Sports Reporter
ONLY eight out of the country’s 45 registered national sports associations are in compliance with provisions of the Sports and Recreation Commission Act, a development that has seen the commission embarking on disciplinary action against defaulters.
The first 10 non-complying sports associations will come before the country’s supreme sports body’s disciplinary committee tomorrow, facing charges of violating the SRC Act, sections 29(8) and (9).
The SRC Act, section 2998) says that “every registered national association shall as soon as practicable after the end of its financial year submit to the commission:- (a)A report on its activities during the previous year; and (b) An audited balance sheet and income and expenditure account for that year”.
Item nine of the same section states that “every registered national association shall, as early as convenient before the commencement of its financial year, submit to the commission its estimates of income and expenditure for the coming year and shall likewise submit any amendments to such estimates”.
SRC corporate communications officer Tirivashe Nheweyembwa said the 10 associations mentioned on Tuesday were not the only non-compliant ones.
“Only eight out of the 45 registered associations are in good standing with the commission, so the 10 that will appear before the disciplinary committee on Friday are only the first batch; more are coming,” said Nheweyembwa.
Some of the national associations in good standing include the Zimbabwe Olympic Committee, Zimbabwe Volleyball Association, Zimbabwe Karate Union, National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Cricket, National Darts Association of Zimbabwe, Motorsports of Zimbabwe and Zimbabwe National Paralympic Committee.
Tomorrow’s disciplinary proceedings will be chaired by SRC commissioner Aisha Tsimba, who will be assisted by fellow commissioners Dave Ellman-Brown and Miriam Mushayi.
“Disciplinary measures against the national sports associations are the measure of the last resort having engaged them without success and going forward, the SRC will continue to enforce compliance with the SRC Act as a way of encouraging good corporate governance within the national sports associations,” said Nheweyembwa in a statement.
He said the move by the SRC is meant to ensure that sport is transformed and well run for the purposes of making it a key economic driver and this was only possible if it adheres to good tenets of corporate governance.
“One of the key challenges that our sport is facing is lack of investment. This is as a result of, among other reasons, poor corporate governance,” he said.
The 10 national sport associations that will appear before the SRC board’s disciplinary committee tomorrow are the Zimbabwe Handball Federation, Zimbabwe Netball Association, Zimbabwe Boxing Federation, Zimbabwe Professional Golfers Association, Zimbabwe Sailing Association, Zimbabwe Billiards and Snooker Association, Zimbabwe Wushu Federation, Zimbabwe Taekwondo Association, Zimbabwe Judo Federation and Zimbabwe Table Tennis Association.