eBusiness Weekly
Chichi Sabeta
While it may appear as if the dark cloud of maladministration is a perennial motif in Zimbabwean sport, a ray of hope is piercing through the local rugby scene.
The Zimbabwe Rugby Union (ZRU) is oozing with promise in 2019.
Its newly-appointed president Aaron Jani was well received by the rugby community, corporate world and now, within the sub-Saharan African region — to be more specific, Jani was last week elected into the Rugby Africa Executive Committee comprised of five members only.
Brighter days are beckoning, from an administrative perspective, at least.
It has been the norm that North African administrators take top positions but the pendulum of change, through Jani, has swung southwards to Zimbabwe.
Jani topped the votes with 25 ahead of Morocco’s Abdennaceur Bougja and Zambia’s Clement Sinkamba who had 23 votes each.
Previously, Zimbabwe was represented in the women’s executive committee by Colleen de Jong who was unable to get a seat as she only got six votes. She is currently working with the ZRU in an organisational capacity on big matches and tournaments.
Although results onto field are yet to emerge and the main flagship team the Sables had a disappointing time in the Rugby Africa Gold Cup among the highlights of 2019 let-downs — there is promise of better times ahead said Jani.
“We are relentless in our drive to continuously rebuild rugby and this humbling opportunity to serve the African board while representing Zimbabwe is a massive step in our constant growth.
“There is much to celebrate and a lot more work that we need to put into rugby in Zimbabwe and this can only happen through working as a collective movement with all stakeholders,” said Jani.
Having been elected in December 2017 along with Losson Mtongwiza and Martin Shone as his deputies, the former Sables winger and the union has in recent times enjoyed a few milestones.
The Zambezi Cheetahs sevens side were crowned African Champions, their coach Gilbert Nyamutsamba was named the 2018 coach of the year at the Annual National Sports Awards. National Under-18 girls had their first ever clean sheet at the Craven Week Youth Games in South Africa, TAG Rugby is the fastest growing development sport with tens of thousands involved among many achievements.
Two important appointments have been added to the ZRU structure as they signed on consultants Sandra Chitewe and Jeffrey Murimbechi in the capacities
Commercial and Marketing consultant as well as the Media and Communications Consultant respectively.
Chitewe has hit the ground running organizing a successful Sevens dinner last year and roping in corporate giant Seedco which has sponsored the national under-20 side with $20,000 ahead of the Barthes Trophy in April.
Meanwhile Murimbechi is the former Zimbabwe Cricket media manager and an all-round media practitioner who has been working in print, digital, television and radio -tasked with improving internal and external communication.
“We have applied several strategies such as applying sternness on our spending, restructured some organisational functions and a lot of dissolution of roles so that we make the best of the few resources we have.
“We believe that our passionate consultants will add value to the sport and help us reach world class standard in the way we operate,” said ZRU chief executive officer Sifiso Made.
All sights are now on the third edition of the prestigious Kwese Sevens Tournament which has been moved from Victoria Falls to Harare Sports Club from March 23 to 24.
