SRC nullifies Buz elections Joe Mujuru

Innocent Kurira, Sports Reporter
THE Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) has nullified the Basketball Union of Zimbabwe (Buz) elections outcome held in January citing gross irregularities in the process and called for fresh polls.

The stormy elective annual general meeting was held at Mtshabezi High School in Matabeleland South on January 29 and incumbent president Joe Mujuru was re-elected after seeing off the challenge of David Pick in a closely contested race that went into a tie breaker after both got five votes each, while another candidate Allen Mavhunga managed to get one vote. In the tie breaker, Mujuru polled six votes to Pick’s five. Pick was later elected first vice-president.

After the elections, Harare Basketball Association (HBA) accused the Buz executive committee of breaching procedural and structural processes in the run-up to the elective general meeting.

HBA accused Mujuru and his secretary-general Charmaine Chamboko of manipulating the union’s electoral process to favour their preferred outcome.

The association sought the intervention of the SRC to help address their grievances.

That included the disqualification of Mashonaland Central province from participating in congress proceedings, including elections, representation of the National Association for Primary School Heads (Naph) by an unauthorised delegate and alleged non-notification of Naph of the Buz congress, secretary-general holding a post outside the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) bodies,  defective financial statements and having no minutes from previous meetings.

SRC wrote to Buz requesting the association to show cause why the outcome of the elective congress should not be nullified in order for the process to be conducted afresh.

The SRC, by reference to Buz’s registered constitution, noted that the complaints raised were of major concern as they had a material impact on the outcome of the elections.

“The Buz constitution does not provide for Naph and Nash having voting rights. In light of this, Naph and Nash were never supposed to vote in the first place, thus rendering the vote by Nash void.

Charmaine Chamboko

Observation is to the effect that the vote by Nash had an impact on the outcome of the election, in particular the presidential election in which the candidate won by one vote. While it is a noble idea for grassroot sport, delivery agencies such as Naph and Nash to vote, the current registered Buz constitution does not provide for their voting rights. The SRC recommends a constitutional review to address the voting powers of Naph and Nash, among other areas of concern,” said the SRC.

In terms of Article 18 (7), all documents were to be forwarded to the members within a minimum period of 30 days before the meeting. In this case, the financial statements were circulated 2 days before the congress, needless to say, they were neither signed nor audited. The SRC noted that if the congress had noted that financials would not be ready 30 days prior, best practice was to defer the congress.

Buz had also not conducted AGMs during its tenure in line with corporate governance best practice. The office bearers had also overshot their tenure of office several months after its expiry.

It was also observed that the agenda used at the congress was not in line with the prescribed format of the Buz constitution. The SRC encouraged Buz to deliberate on the elective general congress proceedings to ensure a way forward that was in line with its constitution and best practices after which Buz responded with a central board resolution which undertook to handle the issues internally.

The SRC then forwarded the resolution to the complainants to confirm whether this was the position taken at the central board meeting. The two complainants (HBA) and Mashonaland East Basketball Association) wrote to the commission refuting the said central boards resolution and position implying that it was untrue and a misrepresentation of what had transpired.
Chamboko was also re-elected, seeing off competition from Sunny Mbofana and SikhumBuzo Ndlovu.

Sunny Mbofana

Chamboko got five votes while her opponents each got three votes.

Tonderai Shasha was elected technical commission president, while the competitions commission post went to Gideon Chikopa.

Taurai Chitsinde regained his position as head of the athletes’ commission. The women and youth commission was won by Jacqueline Chironga. – @innocentskizoe

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