The end for cricket in a bankrupt land By Peter Roebuck May
22, 2004
Zimbabwe Cricket Union has buckled in the face of
international condemnation. As far as the officials responsible for running
cricket in that starving and bankrupt country are concerned, the game is up.
It's over. Once the ICC realised that the current dispute between senior
players and their board was about something more important than pay it could
not remain on the sidelines. Rightly the game's governing body rejected the
moralising of those prepared to bomb women and children and to shake hands
with Gaddafi. But they could not ignore spitefulness in their own
ranks.
Heath Streak and company have not sacrificed their careers for
money. They were not even protesting about the nasty and illegitimate regime
imposing its will upon their country. Rather they were making a last-ditch
stand against racism in cricket. Now it is up to Peter Chingoka, the
long-standing Chairman of ZCU, and his supporters to join the
struggle.
Pigs might fly to the moon. Zimbabwean cricket is finished.
Everyone has been driven away and only youngsters are left. The ICC might as
well withdraw recognition and funds. Cricket has been dragged into the
quagmire by the same forces that have devastated a once prosperous
land.
Chingoka is a suave and sophisticated man who has failed to resist
the agitators in his ranks. Great things were expected from him. He was
the first black prefect appointed at his school in Harare. Till now he
has seemed capable of delivering on his promise. In the last few months his
lack of backbone has been exposed. He is a mere time-server and now it is up
to him to disprove persistent rumours about his close links with
his government. His credibility is in tatters and angry denials no
longer suffice. Chingoka's failure to counter the influence wielded on his
board by Otias Bvute has been the critical factor in the demoralisation of
Zimbabwean cricket. Bvute is a swine who has screamed and shouted at black
selectors and commentators and has a much lower opinion of white people.
Hysterical fools are loose in his office and Chingoka has twiddled his thumbs
and looked civilised.
Furthermore, he has tolerated the appointment as
selectors of Steve Mangongo and Max Eprahim, a slippery customer incapable of
advancing any cause except his own. Mangongo is a firebrand who had worked
hard in the high density areas but lacks the experience needed to serve as a
convenor of selectors.
Until the ZCU confronts its own cancer the country
cannot be allowed back into the fold. The cat is out of the bag. Everyone
hoped cricket could survive the bad times ready to rise again like a eucalypt
after a bushfire. Most of the white players held on in the hope of better
days ahead. Even Andy Flower and Henry Olonga were protesting about the death
of democracy and not the conduct of their board.
Finally the players
came to believe that there was no course available to them except
confrontation. There was nothing left to lose. Their threat to take legal
action was well calculated because senior officials will not want to have
their behaviour exposed. Chingoka and Vince Hogg, his likeable CEO, may say
they kept the politicians away as long as possible but they failed and that
is the end of it. Now they must go and Zimbabwean cricket must go with
them.
Cricket is a game of many colours and faiths and it must stand firm
against prejudice of any sort. Every playing country is expected to work
within these confines.
Chingoka and the ZCU cannot be allowed merely
to cancel these matches. Much more is at stake than the belated reluctance of
supposed leaders to send a bunch of boys into battle on their behalf. The
work of a lot of fine men, black and white, has been undone.
Sean
Ervine has moved to Perth. His dad was thrown off his farm but kept watching
and coaching and hoping. Nor was the youngster easily beaten. Australians are
familiar with his fighting spirit. Then came the arrogant sacking of Streak
and the abuse that followed. Some members of the Board were pleased that
Streak had gone. They wanted an all-black team. The ICC cannot allow
attitudes like that to prosper.
Zimbabwe must be thrown out of the
international cricket community. Only when ZCU reforms itself can it be
allowed back. It's not going to happen.
Aussie cricketers head home May 22, 2004 -
10:30AM
Some of Australia's cricketers are returning home after a
week of frustration ended in the scrapping of the two Tests against
Zimbabwe. Simon Katich, Justin Langer and Cameron White are headed home
because the Zimbabwe Cricket Union (ZCU) offered to cancel the Tests amid the
political turmoil that has engulfed the sport in this country.
Shane
Warne left Harare soon after Friday's announcement to return to England,
where he captains county side Hampshire.
For the rest of the Australian
team, it's a case of putting the whites back in the suitcase and bringing out
the coloured clothing earlier than expected.
Australia has agreed to
play the three one-day matches before leaving.
The matches will be played
at the Harare Sports Club on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday
week.
While Cricket Australia and the ZCU agreed to cancel the two
scheduled Tests to protect the integrity of the traditional game and avoid
more of the thrashings Zimbabwe suffered at the hands of the Sri Lankans this
month, the limited overs matches will still be one-sided.
The ZCU will
sack the 15 white rebel players despite them making themselves available for
selection earlier in the week. The long-running dispute between the rebels
and the ZCU looked to have ended earlier this week when the group said they
were keen to play again, but not in the Tests as they were not physically and
mentally prepared.
Despite that, five of the rebels - Heath Streak, Andy
Blignaut, Ray Price and Trevor Gripper - were included in the Test squad but
told the union they would not play.
ZCU chief executive Vincent Hogg
confirmed the rebels would have their contracts terminated because they could
not make a conditional return to the national side and because they did not
attend training.
The rebels are now back in talks with their
lawyers.
The rest of Australia's one-day squad - Ian Harvey, Andrew
Symonds, Michael Clarke and Shane Watson - are currently in England playing
county cricket and will arrive in Harare on either Sunday or
Monday.
Zimbabwe's second-string side recently lost the one-day series
5-0 to Sri Lanka and in one of the matches, were all out for a world record
low 35.
Australia and Zimbabwe players were being pressed by
union representatives last night to boycott the forthcoming one-day series in
a joint show of force intended to save the careers of 15 sacked white
players. The call from FICA - the Federation of International
Cricketers Associations - came after another chaotic day in Harare in which
the Zimbabwe Cricket Union surrendered to pressure to defer its two
Tests against Australia and then vented its anger by sacking the
disaffected players for a second time.
The deepening crisis will
almost certainly force England to delay further their decision on whether to
tour Zimbabwe this autumn, while the outcome of the International Cricket
Council's attempts to salvage the game in that benighted country becomes
clear.
The sackings goaded FICA into open rebellion against the ZCU
board, as it imagined a surely unrealistic scenario in which the board might
be forced to resign and be replaced by a more moderate body. This body would
simply not be countenanced.
Richard Bevan, chief executive of
England's Professional Cricketers Association and a FICA board member, said:
"People seem to be accepting that these 15 players will never again play for
Zimbabwe. We are not accepting that and neither are a lot of players around
the world.
"These players are the future of Zimbabwe in the short term.
If 15 guys don't go back to work, Test match status will be in jeopardy for
some time to come. If the ICC suspended Zimbabwe from the World Cup and the
Champions Trophy, it would force the board to resign or to bring these guys
back to the negotiating table."
Union officials, led by their
Australian chief executive, Tim May, are furious at the deal hatched between
the ZCU board and the chairman of Australian cricket, Bob Merriman, in which
the Tests were deferred on the promise that Australia would honour the
one-day series.
Bevan said: "One hour after Merriman reached an agreement
with the ZCU, they made it clear they would not talk to the players either
now or in the future and they were told to return their cars and mobile
phones immediately.
"Meetings with players and others are taking place
over whether even any one-day internationals should take place. The current
members of the Zimbabwe team are coming off the fence. They are not in an
easy position - they have severe security concerns for their families - but
regional and provincial cricket in Zimbabwe could collapse.
"The ZCU
board should resign for the good of Zimbabwe cricket. Effectively, Merriman's
negotiation of a deal with the ZCU has wrecked the chances of this happening.
We have been making telephone calls to Merriman since 6am, and none of them
have been answered - and that includes calls from the Australian players'
association."
The ICC, in contrast, was relieved that an immediate
stand-off with Zimbabwe had been avoided. A telephone link-up between
representatives of the 10 Test nations, called to vote on whether the Tests
should lose their official status, was cancelled.
The Zimbabwe issue
will now be discussed at an ICC executive meeting at Lord's, beginning on
June 27, making it likely that the England and Wales Cricket Board will defer
until July at the earliest its decision on whether to tour.
In the
meantime, the ICC will respond favourably to a request from the Zimbabwe
players' lawyers to enter the disputes resolution process. An independent,
three-strong committee will be drawn up in the next few days.
Ehsan Mani,
the ICC president, said: "Suspension of Zimbabwe's Test status is not up for
discussion at the moment. There will be a comprehensive discussion of the
Zimbabwe issue in June. We have never had a situation where the depths of
cricket in a country has been exposed so severely.
"The one-day game is
different. It is important that, should the experienced players not come
back, their replacements have a chance of exposure. We have high-performance
programmes in Bangladesh to help their cricket and Zimbabwe might have to
take this step."
Australia avoids fine by staying in Zimbabwe London May 22,
2004 - 1:38PM
Australia appears to have avoided a hefty fine and a
one-year suspension from international cricket by agreeing to take part in
three one-day matches against Zimbabwe. But the international players'
association is furious with Australia's decision to stay on in Zimbabwe,
blaming Cricket Australia chairman Bob Merriman for the sacking of the 15
white rebel players.
Had Australia decided to leave the African nation
after the Zimbabwe Cricket Union (ZCU) agreed to scrap two Test matches,
International Cricket Council (ICC) chairman Malcolm Speed confirmed it was
at risk of being fined, or worse.
''It's possible that there would be
a fine,'' he said.
''But in any event that's hypothetical because
Australia has agreed to play matches.''
Under ICC regulations, every
Test-playing nation must play every opponent home and away every four years
or face suspension.
Australian cancelled its 2002 tour to Zimbabwe on
security concerns and Merriman said because of cricket's heavy schedule the
postponed Test matches would not be played for at least four
years.
Speed said there was a slim possibility Zimbabwe and Australia
could be suspended for breaching the rules, along with England if it pulled
out of its upcoming tour to Zimbabwe, but it was highly
unlikely.
Seven of the 10 full members of the ICC would need to vote for
suspension and the ICC annual meeting would then have to approve the
sanction.
''It's a possibility that any country can be suspended,'' Speed
said.
''But that's not a serious issue that's on the
table.''
Australia will now play Zimbabwe's second-string side in the
one-day matches starting on Tuesday.
The 15 rebel white players made
themselves available for selection during the week but the Federation of
International Cricketers Associations (FICA) said they had been sacked
immediately after Merriman agreed to play the one-day matches.
The
ZCU's offer to scrap the Test series followed a request to do so two weeks
ago by the ICC and preempted a vote on the matches by the 10 ICC
board presidents, whom ICC president Ehsan Mani said would certainly have
voted to deny the games Test status.
He declared the ZCU's decision
had ensured the integrity of Test cricket would be preserved but rejected
suggestions the ICC was unconcerned about the integrity of the one-day
game.
FICA chief executive Richard Bevan blasted Merriman for sealing the
fate of the rebel players and saving the ZCU board.
He believes
Merriman should have left the matter to the ICC, which he predicted would
also have put an end to the one-day matches.
''If you were to suspend
Zimbabwe completely from the one-day matches and the Champions Trophy what
you would do is you would force the Zimbabwe board to resign ... or it would
bring the guys back to the table,'' Bevan said.
''Effectively, by Bob
Merriman negotiating with the ZCU and coming to this conclusion, it's robbed
us all of actually having the Zimbabwe Cricket position put to a
vote.
''And gone to a vote, it probably would have seen the one-day and
the Test matches removed and then they would have had to have brought the 15
players back.''
Mani said the issue of fining or suspending clubs,
along with Zimbabwe's Test status, would be reviewed at the ICC meetings in
London in June.
''Zimbabwe might have to take a step backwards for a
little while and regroup and then move forward, with our help,'' he
said.
Speed said the postponement of the two Test matches would not
effect Australia's status at the top of the ICC Test ranking.
CRICKET Australia could push for the expulsion of Zimbabwe from Test
cricket following the past week's farcical events.
CA chief executive
James Sutherland today refused to rule out the move after the two Test
matches between the countries were "postponed".
Australia will formulate
its policy on Zimbabwe's future as a Test cricket-playing nation before next
month's ICC executive board meeting.
Sutherland said today the issue of
the African nation's status in the game needed to be resolved
quickly.
"I think that's a question that's probably come onto the table
and is higher on the agenda now than it has ever been before," Sutherland
said.
"There's no doubt that Cricket Australia and a number of other full
member countries are concerned about how things have developed in recent
weeks."
"Certainly to some extent that will be dealt with by the
executive board when they meet in June.
"On top of that I think it's
well known that the ICC have commenced a review of the structure of
international cricket and there's been some speculation about the various
forms that might take into the future.
"The circumstances around this are
no good for the game of cricket," Sutherland said.
"The ICC and the
member countries really need to address it so there is some certainty into
the future."
However he did leave the door ajar for Zimbabwe to regain
some integrity, saying it was too early to expel the country because "there's
a bit to happen".
"It's over a month away now and obviously that gives
in some ways the Zimbabwe Cricket Union a chance to have a look at what's
happening and perhaps resolve some of their differences with their
players."
The three planned one-dayers next week would be "second-rate"
matches, Sutherland said, but added they had never been under threat of
being dropped.
"Cricket Australia has obligations to the future tours
program, such that these one-day matches should go ahead.
"It's never
been discussed or never been an issue that the one-day matches were in
consideration," he said.
The Australian players who were in Zimbabwe to
play the Tests would be compensated, Sutherland said.
"All players
will be paid. In terms of the split and how that works we haven't resolved
that yet, not that it's a big issue," he said.
"We'll just make sure that
it's right and appropriate - the players have obviously gone out on a limb to
make themselves available and commit to the tour and they'll obviously be
remunerated properly," he said.
Sent: Saturday, May 22, 2004 5:14 PM Subject: Sheep
Dear Family
and Friends, Most days when I watch the main evening news on television, I
wonder if the news writers live in the same country as me. The Zimbabwe that
they describe is worlds apart from the country that I wake up in every
morning. For the last couple of weeks we have been bombarded with propaganda
which tells us that the country is booming, the economy is on the mend, a
bumper harvest is being reaped and inflation is plummeting. The Zimbabwe
government's figures say that inflation dropped by 78% in the last month. In
the same week as they made that announcement, there was an article in the
State run Herald newspaper which said that prices of all sorts of goods
and services were surging upwards. The Herald went on to list old and new
prices of meat, toothpaste, eggs, chicken, soap and cooking oil. The price
of both bread and public transport went up by 50% in the same month that
inflation apparently plummeted. Announcements were also made that the wage
for a domestic employee had been increased from twelve thousand to eighty
three thousand dollars a month and that the poverty datum line is now pegged
at nine hundred and eighty eight thousand dollars a month. I
don't know how the numbers and statistics are juggled but as an ordinary
housewife I can't understand how inflation goes down when wages, food and
transport prices have gone up. In the last few months electricity and
water bills have more than trebled, the telephone bill has quadrupled and
medical expenses are worse than a nightmare.
As I write this I can
hardly believe how casually we all talk in millions these days, how it
came to this and why a country with almost twelve million people sat back
and watched this happen. I ask myself the same question every day of
my life: What IS wrong with us.
The simple answer, I suppose, is
fear. Regardless of our age, sex or race, we are scared of our leaders. We
are scared of their guns and soldiers, their militia and power. In four years
we have watched the price of a single loaf of bread go from ten to three
thousand dollars and yet we are too scared to do anything about it. Things
that we used to throw into the shopping basket without a thought have
become luxuries; things like milk, cheese, bread, eggs, fruit, jam and
peanut butter.
Asked by a journalist how an air crash survivor had found
the courage to do what he did to save himself and a few others, the man said
that his courage had come from fear. To me his real courage was his
leadership because in the end we are all just sheep and wait for someone
brave enough to lead the flock. Until next week, with love,
cathy.
The United States has
appointed Christopher Dell as its new ambassador to Zimbabwe amid fears in
the diplomatic community that incoming Western ambassadors might have
difficulty securing their "agreements" - permission from their hosts to
commence duties. The White House said Dell - an experienced career diplomat
who has previously served in two African countries - will soon assume his new
role in Harare, replacing Joseph Sullivan who has already left. Dell is a
career foreign service officer and currently serves as chief of mission in
Luanda, Angola. He previously served as the designated chief of mission in
Pristina, Kosovo, and held earlier postings in Bulgaria and Mozambique.
Several Western countries including Britain, Germany, Australia and Spain are
expected to soon post new ambassadors to Zimbabwe. However, diplomatic
sources say the new ambassadors could face a hostile reception from President
Robert Mugabe's government as a result of the political stand-off between
Harare and Western capitals. The sources said when a new ambassador is
nominated the host country must issue an "agreement" before the foreign
diplomat can start official duties. In Zimbabwe Western representatives could
be forced to wait for a long time before Mugabe accepts presentation of their
credentials as a result of bilateral disputes. Harare is said to be still
fuming, for instance, over Kumbirai Kangai's treatment by British immigration
officials when he transited London earlier this year.
Zimbabwe has
been locked in political disputes over systematic repression and autocratic
policies with the United States and European Union states, as well as
countries in the Asia-Pacific region. This has often forced
Western ambassadors to square off against authorities in Harare. British
ambassador Brian Donnelly, who is due to leave next month, has borne the
brunt of government hostility towards the West. Despite official threats and
abuse by the state media, Donnelly has remained defiant. In the latest
edition of Britain-Zimbabwe magazine, Donnelly said his country still shared
"a common appreciation that in a number of key areas - political intimidation
and violence, democracy and human rights, freedom of expression, justice
and land reform - the situation in Zimbabwe has appreciably worsened". Only
a few countries in the EU appear to have less serious problems with
Zimbabwe at a diplomatic level. France, whose ambassador Didier Ferrand
left recently, did not have any hitches in securing an agreement for its new
top diplomat, Michel Rambaud.
Meanwhile, press reports in Ethiopia
say an estate agency has taken the Zimbabwean diplomatic mission in Addis
Ababa to court for failing to pay rent. The Daily Monitor this week said the
state-owned Agency for the Administration of Rented Houses has sued the
Zimbabwean embassy in absentia at the Federal First Instance court in Addis
Ababa last week and won. The paper said despite the mission's diplomatic
immunity the housing agency put up a charge against the embassy claiming
default of rent payments. The agency is understood to be owed 14 880 birr
(Z$9,2 million) by the Zimbabwean embassy and has also complained about
damage to its property. The agency has been frantically trying to engage
Zimbabwean ambassador to Ethiopia Andrew Mtetwa. Foreign Affairs spokesperson
Pavelyn Musaka said she was unaware of the issue. "This is news to me," she
said. "I will check with the mission there. But we have been sending them
reimbursements and we thought the mission was up to date with their
payments."
UNDP wasn't stopped from assessing food
situation: Made
Harare - Agriculture and Rural Development Minister
Cde Joseph Made yesterday dismissed reports alleging that Government had
stopped a United Nations Development Programme team from assessing the food
situation in the country. "Those who are saying that the team was withdrawn
from the field should provide the evidence if they have it and I would like
to be shown that evidence," he said. Cde Made said this in response to a
question by Harare South MP Mr Gabriel Chaibva (MDC), who wanted to know why
the Government had stopped the UNDP team from assessing the food situation
if claims by the State that there was enough food were true. "I would like
to emphasise that it is the member country which conducts the food
field assessment and then gives its crop assessment and Zimbabwe has given
its final crop assessment figures," he said. The Government, Cde Made said,
had already made it clear that there would be enough food for the country
this season. Cde Made said the Government would never go back on the land
reform programme as this was being done lawfully. He said this in response to
a question by Mabvuku MP Mr Justin Mutendadzamera (MDC) who had asked why
the Government had acquired farms such as Kondozi Farm in Odzi in
Manicaland province. Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Cde
Patrick Chinamasa also dismissed reports alleging that some Zimbabweans were
dying of starvation. "It is a lie that some Zimbabweans are dying of
starvation and we have not been shown one Zimbabwean who has died out of
starvation," he said. The minister said this in response to a question by
Mufakose MP Ms Paurina Mpariwa (MDC) who had asked why the Government had
stopped the donor community from assessing the food situation and alleged
that some people were starving to death.
Cde Chinamasa said it was
clear that there were some organisations and individuals that had been
thriving on food aid and wanted to continue ripping. "It is a lie that
Zimbabweans are starving and the lie is intended to please their masters.
When the need for food aid arises again in the future, we will engage those
organisations," he said. Zimbabwe is expected to produce 2,8 million tonnes
of maize this season of which 1,2 millions are expected to be delivered to
the Grain Marketing Board. Cde Chinamasa said there were currently about 5,6
million voters on the voter's roll and the on-going voter registration
exercise was meant to cater for those who had not registered before. He said
this in response to a question by Kuwadzana MP Mr Nelson Chamisa (MDC), who
had asked the minister to clarify the position in regard to the voter
registration. Cde Chinamasa dispelled rumours alleging that the Delimitation
Commission had been appointed, saying it would only be appointed when there
are major transfers of prospective voters from one constituency to another.
The minister said the resident ministers who had been appointed in Harare and
Bulawayo would deal with governance issues such as drought relief and social
services while the city councils would concentrate on service delivery. "A
city council has to work with the Government of the day not like a misguided
missile. We do not have problems with the Bulawayo City Council but with the
Harare City Council because it thinks it is the Government of the day," Cde
Chinamasa said. He said this in response to a question by Nyanga MP Mr
Leonard Chirowamhangu who had asked why the Government had appointed resident
ministers for Harare and Bulawayo.
South Africa unwilling to host second-string
Zimbabwe
Wisden Cricinfo staff
Within a day of the
scrapping of Zimbabwe's Test series against Australia comes the news that
South Africa might not be willing to play them either. The South Africans are
scheduled to play three one-dayers and two Tests at home in February 2005,
but Ray Mali, the president of the United Cricket Board of South Africa,
stated that they wouldn't host a second-string Zimbabwe team. Agreeing with
the decision to postpone the Australian series, Mali said: "We would not like
to play against a very inferior Zimbabwe team and so we will be doing
everything possible to assist them in the development of a top-class side."
Talking to Reuters, Mali stressed that the South African board would continue
to work with the ZCU in an effort to resolve the crisis in Zimbabwe. "I have
spent the last two weeks talking to the Zimbabwe Cricket Union as the
representative of our board and things have turned out the way we wanted. But
no cricket board can be held to ransom and the issue with the rebel players
must be resolved quickly." Zimbabwe have played five Tests against South
Africa so far, but only one of them was an overseas game, at Bloemfontein in
1999-2000, when a full-strength Zimbabwean team - inclusive of the Flower
brothers, Murray Goodwin and Neil Johnson - were thrashed by an innings and
13 runs. If the tour to South Africa does happen, the plight of Tatenda Taibu
and co. would, one suspects, be much worse.
CHAOS IN PARLIAMENT OF
ZIMBABWE MP MOMENTARILY DETAINED
Lawyer Obstructed from Accessing MP
Client
On 18 May 2004, an altercation allegedly took place in the
Parliament of Zimbabwe involving the Honourable MP for Chimanimani
Constituency Roy Bennet and Honourable Minister Patrick Chinamasa. The
security and state agents at Parliament thereafter detained Hon MP Roy
Bennett. Reacting to the Hon MP Roy Bennett's distress calls, lawyer Otto
Saki proceeded to Parliament where he demanded access to his client, the Hon
MP Roy Bennet. Initially the security and state agents refused to allow Mr.
Otto Saki access to his client professing ignorance about his whereabouts. It
was only after being made to wait for over 30 minutes at the
Parliament entrance that Mr. Saki was finally allowed access to the
Parliament building where Bennet remained detained. While Parliamentarians
are encouraged to behave in an exemplary manner and not to abuse
Parliamentary privileges, the incident between Hon P Chinamasa and Hon R
Bennett should be investigated in terms of the standing Parliamentary
rules.
ZLHR is once again alarmed at the attitude of state agents to
continue refusing lawyers unimpeded access to their clients. The practice of
refusal to allow lawyers unimpeded access to their clients is complemented by
a persistent conduct on the part of the state to defy court orders that
are deemed to be unfavourable to the state. In the context of the
general conflict between the state and Roy Bennett, ZLHR is aware that the
state has defied no less than 6 court orders all effectively barring the
state from interfering with the farming activities at Charleswood Estate,
the farm belonging to the Bennett Brothers. A summary of the defied orders
is given below:
Defied Court Orders specific to Charleswood
Estate 13 May 2004; High Court Judge, Justice Ben Hlatshwayo granted an order
by consent in terms of which the State was interdicted from interfering
with the business operations at Mawenje Lodge situated at Charleswood
Estate. This order was served on the relevant state organs but has been
ignored by the state to date.
3 May 2004; High Court Judge, Justice
Guvava granted a provisional order interdicting the state from interfering in
any manner whatsoever with the farming operations at Charleswood Estate. The
state and all those in unlawful occupation of the farm at the instance of the
state were ordered to forthwith vacate the farm and to allow employees of
Charleswood Estate that they had forcibly and without right ejected out of
the farm to return to their homes on the farm. This order was served on all
the relevant state organs cited such as the Provincial Governor of Manicaland
Retired Major General Mike Nyambuya, The Minister of State Security, The
Minister of Home Affairs, The Commissioner of Police and The Commander of the
Zimbabwe National Army. The order has regrettably been defied by the
State.
25 February 2004;High Court Judge, Justice Karwi granted a
provisional order which provided that, Bennett Brothers Farming Enterprises
(Pvt) Ltd ("Bennett Brothers") is given leave to remain and carry on its
business on Charleswood Estate; the state or its functionaries were
interdicted from interfering in any way with the farming and business
operations of Bennett Brothers on Charleswood Estate; the state functionaries
or other persons occupying the farm at the instance of the state were ordered
to immediately vacate the farm. This order was served on the state but the
state has chosen to defy and disregard the court order.
18 November
2003; The Magistrates' court at Mutare, Manicaland issued a provisional order
against functionaries of the state led by Sergeant Nasho and the Agricultural
Rural Development Authority (ARDA) to the following effect; that the state
functionaries were interdicted from setting foot or entering upon Charleswood
Estate; that the state functionaries were interdicted from harassing or
assaulting the employees of Charleswood Estate; that the state functionaries
were to vacate Charleswood Estate forthwith failing which the messenger of
court and the police were directed to eject them; the state functionaries
were further ordered to vacate and restore the offices of Charleswood Estate
to the Bennett Brothers. This order has also been defied by the
state.
8 April 2003; High Court Judge, Justice Karwi granted an order by
consent which provided that, the state and its functionaries be interdicted
from threatening, abusing, intimidating, harassing assaulting or
communicating with the directors, employees and their family members of
companies belonging to the Honourable MP Roy Bennet, operating at Charleswood
Estate; and that the employees of Charleswood Estate and their families
were permitted and directed to return forthwith to their homes on, and
continue working for Charleswood Estate. This order has also been
ignored.
May 2002; The High Court Harare issued a provisional order that
is still standing that barred the state from acquiring Charleswood Estate.
Needless to say that such order has also been ignored and completely defied
by the state.
Lawlessness and Defiance of Court
Orders Unfortunately the courts can only go so far in asserting the rights
of individuals. Once they make a pronouncement as to the correct
legal position, the responsibility to enforce the law immediately shifts to
the Executive organ of the state, it being the one that is in charge of
the state machinery. In enforcing court orders, the Executive complies with
its responsibility to ensure that citizens enjoy the right to the protection
of the law which right is provided for in our constitution and
other international instruments that the government has acceded to or signed
and ratified. A culture of defiance of court orders severely undermines
the judiciary and the justice delivery system and entrenches a culture
of impunity and lawlessness. ZLHR believes that there is a strong
relationship between the shameful episode that took place in Parliament and
the defiance of Court orders.
Recommendations
ZLHR recommends
that: 1. The state immediately restores the rule of law and complies with
all judgments even if they may be unfavourable to the state. 2. The
Minister of Justice Legal and Parliamentary Affairs be at the forefront of
defending the independence of the judiciary and to this extent issues public
statements in support of the judiciary in instances where the judiciary gets
targeted for persecution, harassment, assaults, defamation and also in cases
where the independence of the judiciary is being undermined through such
unworthy conduct as defiance of court orders. In particular the Minister
should cause investigations and possible prosecution to be done in all cases
where members of the judiciary and the legal profession have been assaulted
such as the case of Magistrate Chikwanha who was beaten by known assailants
(in August 2002) who still roam the streets of Chipinge free. The state
should comply with the law if it needs to acquire Charleswood Estate or any
other property. There is no conceivable reason or any legal justification for
the state to operate outside the law in dealing with any of its citizens
notwithstanding their ethnic, racial, or tribal origin or political
inclination. -Ends-
JAG would like to remind all Commercial Farmers that the
Quinnell Case is scheduled to be heard in the Supreme Court this coming week
(Thursday 27th May 2004.) Senior Council Trengrove will be arriving in the
country ahead of this date and will be in consultation with Senior Advocate
Chris Anderson, JAG Trustees and Farmers with a view to fine tuning and
putting the final touches to this extremely important constitutional test
case challenge. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE
JAG TEAM
JAG Hotlines: (011) 612 595 If you are in trouble or need
advice, (011) 205 374 (011) 863 354 please don't hesitate to contact us
- (011) 431 068 we're here to help! 263
4 799 410 Office Lines
Please
send any material for publication in the Open Letter Forum to justice@telco.co.zw with "For Open Letter
Forum" in the subject
line.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------- JAG
OLF
269 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- THOUGHT
FOR THE DAY
It is better to discuss things, to argue and engage in
polemics than make perfidious plans of mutual destruction.
Mikhail S.
Gorbachev ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
OPEN
LETTER FORUM
Letter 1. Subject: Re: JAG Open Letters Forum 18th May 2004
OLF 268
Dear friends at JAG, Just thought you would like to read the
following. Start from the bottom.
On discovering that this company was
dealing with your illegal regime, a tentative enquiry was sent to Senry about
their dealings. The response at the bottom is your starting point. The next
message up the ladder is the response to Sentry and the next one up is a
letter sent to a subscription list of approx 30,000 subscribers. If 10% of
that subscriber list writes to Sentry, it's going to clog them - I s'pose. As
Mr Frizzell wisely suggested letter writing, how about you consider using
this as a trial first run. Please would you all consider writing to this Mr
Kirk Heaton (E-mail kheaton@sentryfinancial.com)
giving him your thoughts about how you feel about his secret deal with
supplying +/- 900 tonnes of grain which could be used to subvert democracy
and be used as a political weapon by this regime. Please give this one your
best shot. There will be more requests like this in the near future God
bless Zimbabwe
My friends
As you know, I sometimes write about
matters close to my heart! South Africa's neighbour, Zimbabwe, has turned
down a major offer of food from the United Nations and even kicked out a UN
group trying to investigate how critical the food shortage is there. It is
estimated that well over 7 million people are on the verge of starvation.
Famine stalks that country that was known, until a few years ago, as the
breadbasket of Africa.
Now that the aging megalomanic and despotic
president, Mugabe, tries to hang desperately onto power, he wants no-one to
see what he's up to and he wants to use food as a weapon to retain power
while members of the ruling party beat the opposition into submission through
arrests, torture, raping, burning and plundering.
It has come to my
attention that a secret deal has been made with an international American
company, Sentry International Corporation, and you may care to voice your
disapproval.
Regards
Myke Ashley-Cooper
PS Please don't
hesitate to forward this to as many people as you may think will react to
this.
----- Original Message ----- From: Myke Ashley-Cooper To:
Kirk Heaton Sent: Wednesday, May 19, 2004 8:08 AM Subject: Re: Sentry
International Hope that you are really proud of your association with
Zimbabwe! I suggest that you check this country out just a little better than
you have done. It has a megalomaniac president and government that are
torturing, murdering, raping and wiping out the opposition. What was the
breadbasket of Africa is now a pathetic, starving nation but conglomerates
like yours are doing nothing to help that situation in the "pursuit of
business" (sic)! As your answer is so disgraceful, I will pass it on to
everyone I can. Isn't greed a sad indictment of humanity?
Michel D
Ashley-Cooper in South Africa ----- Original Message ----- From: Kirk
Heaton To: ashley.cooper@new.co.za Sent:
Wednesday, May 19, 2004 12:39 AM Subject: Sentry International Dear
Ms. Cooper: in response to your email I can provide the
following comments:
Since 1999, Sentry International ("Sentry") has
been involved with various business ventures in Africa, including
transactions with companies in the Republic of Zimbabwe. All of Sentry's
activities in Africa (and other parts of the world) have been and will always
be conducted in a professional manner and in full compliance with all rules
and regulations applicable to Sentry.
Among other business pursuits,
Sentry has entered into agreements with private companies in Zimbabwe,
pursuant to which Sentry collaborates with other international companies to
import grain into the country of Zimbabwe. Like most businesses, the
specifics of Sentry's agreements with other parties are confidential and,
therefore, are not disclosed to third parties.
Sentry's pursuit of
business in various countries throughout the world does not constitute the
support or condemnation of the policies of the governments of those
countries.
Kirk Heaton Executive Vice President & General
Counsel SENTRY FINANCIAL CORPORATION
www.sentryfinancial.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Letter
2. JAG Open Letters Forum 18th May 2004 - OLF 268
This is not really
about Agriculture but knowing that your list of readers is large and springs
from all walks of life this may be of interest.
I have the responsibility
to run a large business that is an integral part of most exporting activities
in Zimbabwe. We depend on imported technology and goods and so when forex
began to run out in 2002 the challenge we faced was how to continue. Import
substitution was not an option, nor really was closure of the business so an
alternative was found in the parallel market. That this was a baited trap is
obvious in hindsight; at the time it seemed we were all being pushed in that
direction by deliberate, but unstated, government policy. We succumbed and
broke the exchange control regulations, but kept our business and a number of
exporting concerns viably operating.
In December last year Gono made it
clear that this was a bad thing so we stopped and have struggled on since
then using the auction but with patchy success. However that is not the point
of this story. Last Friday I along with another executive and lower level
employee were picked up by Reserve Bank. They handed us on to CID who in turn
had us locked up for the weekend in a Harare prison. CID were puzzled as to
why they had to lock us up but the instruction came from "high up".
As
the company was the offender and all the files and documents that they wanted
they already had and we stated that we were happy to cooperate I was unsure
as to why it was necessary to incarcerate us individuals but I am sure your
farmer subscribers will understand the logic of this sequence of actions. I
suppose every story of jail time is the same so I won't bore your readers
with it, but to each individual it is unique in its unpleasantness and for
our loved ones who are helpless on the outside, a hugely stressful
experience.
By Monday mid-day we had been processed and released after
almost no interrogation, the case having being assembled from documentary
evidence. I am told we will have to pay a huge fine which we will find very
difficult as our financial resources are largely tied up in advances to our
customers who are finding it hard to stay afloat on the income they get from
the auction rate but that is a different problem.
In closing I would
like to offer these thoughts. The prosecution seems to be a random thing, but
I was informed that every business will eventually be caught in the net.
Whistleblowers are the primary source at the moment, what they don't realise
is no bounty will be paid as that only applies to people who make possible
the entrapment of folk actually in the act of buying forex in a cash form !
The whistleblowers need to read the small print apparently.
Prison is
an unpleasant place made more so by the fact that you are only allowed to go
inside with two items of clothing. I would recommend that you have a little
pack with you at all times containing a sweatshirt with a hood and a pair of
trousers with leg extensions that can be dropped and secured to cover your
feet. Padding at the hips and knees sewn into the trousers will make sleeping
on the cold hard concrete floor a bit easier. When you are being processed
into the cells you will be able to change into these clothes. A small wad of
toilet paper and a handkerchief are also a good idea.
Remember that
your watch, phone, rings, copper bracelets etc. will be taken away and whilst
they will not be stolen they will be paraded for the amazement of the
officers and men at the police station and any visitors who may need to be
impressed by the wealth of those inside.
You are allowed to have food
delivered by relatives/friends my advice would be to keep the food intake to
a minimum as the loo is only flushed in the morning by means of a bucket of
water and poo-ing just before this is the best time. The smell of urine is
pervasive and you never seem to acclimate but the cell-mates at my place of
incarceration were fastidious in keeping the loo surrounds clear of any
splash and a cover of floor mat was kept in place when not in use to keep the
smell down.
There were an average of 17 inmates in our 4m by 5m cell
rising to a peak of 20. There were about 10 blankets and four sleeping mats
so sharing was the order of the day. We experienced no hostility at all
either from inmates or officials but a better knowledge of Shona would have
made my stay more interesting.
message: I sincerely believe that Zimbabweans both in and out of the
coutry must use whatever platform they can to get the word out
-
CRICKET - a symbol of everything colonial, historical, a game which
breeds dignity, patience, integrity and fair play has become an unwitting
pawn in the wholse sad tale that has become Zimbabwe.
For years now I
have 'beating my drum' about the Zimbabwean Situation and many recounts and
tales have fallen on deaf ears, tales of rape and mutilation and torture have
produced no more that 'tsk tsk - terrible'.
Now the same words are able
to describe what the Zimbabwean Government have done to Cricket -
I
remind people that this is reality of daily life in Zim - not just sport, but
Homes, Farms, Businesses, Hospitals, Industry and Schools.
Looks of
amazement and horror now appear to dawn on faces of those who years ago said
"tsk tsk - terrible - what's the score in the rugby match?"
If a game of
Cricket is what it takes to put Zimbabwe on the map and bring its' dictators
to justice - HOWZAT!!
You're out and the 3rd Umpire will show them the
red light to walk. Pam
Crowther
--------------------------------------------------------------------------- Letter
4. Subject: Murder
Dear Editor,
Please could this letter be
forwarded to Zimbabwe Republic Police spokeperson Assistant Commissioner
Wayne Bvudzijena at PGHQ, Harare, for comment on the progress of the
investigation into the murder of the late David Stevens and the late Julius
Andoche.
The two deceased were abducted by so called War Veterans from
his Zimbabwe Republic Police station in Murehwa on April, 15th 2000 and were
taken away and executed. It is now over four years since the
murders.
There are a number of International Human Rights organisations
that would like to share this information with you, as well as the possible
motive for the simultaneous murder of a white commercial farmer with his
presumably black foreman. The Human Rights Organisations should not be
concerned with the colour of the victims, but the murder of two races
simultaneously would tend to rule out a racial motive. I look forward to Ass.
Comm. Bvudzijena's professional and comprehensive report for international
consumption.
Biographer
Abroad.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------- All
letters published on the open Letter Forum are the views and opinions of the
submitters, and do not represent the official viewpoint of Justice for
Agriculture. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE
JAG TEAM
JAG Hotlines: (011) 612 595 If you are in trouble or need
advice, (011) 205 374 (011) 863 354 please don't hesitate to contact us
- (011) 431 068 we're here to help! 263
4 799 410 Office Lines
Please send any job
opportunities for publication in this newsletter to: JAG Job Opportunities
<justice@telco.co.zw>
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.
Advert Received 18th May 2004
BRONTE HOTEL seeks full time BOOKKEEPER /
ACCOUNTANT Responsible for:- monthly management accounts
(Pastel) Revenue control Debtors/Creditors
control Statutory Returns Stock take reviews Reply: G
Dickens. Tel 707522-7 Fax 707844 e-mail: bronte@ecoweb.co.zw ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.
Advert Received 18th May 2004 HEY SHOOT FARM P.O.BOX
117 GLENDALE (023 516 276) (0758 2744)
REF: Application for a
job as a Farm Manager:
Dear Sir or Madam:
I am a young man aged
twenty-three currently undertaking a diploma in agriculture at Blackfordby
Agricultural Institute. I will be graduating on the 10th of June this year
and it is in this capacity that I respond for the above post.
During
my two years I have been offered a comprehensive package of commercial
farming and greatly endeavor to explore my accelerated knowledge in
agriculture. I also underwent a comprehensive study of horticultural crops
including Roses
I also was understudy on a college attachment on a rose
enterprise for three months on a 12ha project under John Sole Pvt Ltd in
Glendale where I learnt a lot in as far as propagation is concerned. I refer
you to them on the above address to the rose productions manager Brain
(0758-21267).
During the two year programme the college offers greater
bias to tobacco offering a full year programme on tobacco from seedbed to
marketing of the crop. For more information on my character and conduct,
academic performance feel free to contact my college director Mr. D. Baxter
on (075 2532/3. My contact number is 023 516 276.
I am looking forward
to hearing from you soon forward to hearing from you soon.
Yours
Faithfully.
Bernard
Mudhe
--------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.
Advert Received 20th May 2004
CAN ANYONE PLEASE HELP ME - I AM LOOKING
FOR A PART-TIME MAID FOR ONCE OR TWICE A WEEK TO DO BASICS.
I LIVE IN
THE AVENUES AREA, ONE BEDROOMED FLAT BUT I NEED SOMEONE VERY WELL VERSED AND
WITH REFERENCES.
For
the latest listings of accommodation available for farmers, contact justiceforagriculture@zol.co.zw --------------------------------------------------------------------------- THE
JAG TEAM
JAG Hotlines: (011) 612 595 If you are in trouble or need
advice, (011) 205 374 (011) 863 354 please don't hesitate to contact us
- (011) 431 068 we're here to help! 263
4 799 410 Office Lines
Sacked former Zimbabwe
captain Heath Streak has urged England and all Test teams to boycott his
country until the player crisis is resolved.
Streak is at the
centre of a dispute over selection which saw 15 players fired by the Zimbabwe
Cricket Union.
England are under pressure to pull out of their
October tour in a moral protest against Robert Mugabe's regime.
Streak told BBC's Test Match Special: "If England come it would suggest they
agree with what is going on."
Test Match Special
He added: "I don't think any country should be coming to play cricket in
Zimbabwe until they have fixed the problem, whether it be England, Australia
or Bangladesh."
If the row carried on in the coming months it would
provide England with a plausible reason to not tour.
But
International Cricket Council president Ehsan Mani was confident it would be
resolved by then.
England tour 'unaffected'
South
Africa have gone on record as saying they would not be prepared to host
Zimbabwe next year if the two parties were still warring.
Zimbabwe's Test series against Australia was scrapped on Friday, one day
before the first match was due to start.
It was agreed the one-day
series would go ahead, but the players in the dispute were not considered and
sacked by the ZCU.
The rebels have turned to the ICC to resolve the
dispute, and the ruling body is currently making a legal assessment of
whether it is able to answer the request.
Woman who risked her life for kids says she
would do it again
A WOMAN who was jailed after risking her own life to
bring children into Britain from war-torn Zimbabwe has said that, if
necessary, she would repeat her actions.
Elizabeth Kalonga (right),
33, of St Michael's Crescent, Luton, was sent down for ten months last
October after pleading guilty to using a forged passport and unlawful
immigration.
We told last week, however, how her sentence had been cut to
eight months on appeal and that she had been freed immediately because she
had already served half of it.
The married mother-of-three brought the
four youngsters into this country for their mother - a student friend who she
was living with at the time who had just been given asylum.
Zimbabwean
born Mrs Kalonga, who faced possible arrest in Zimbabwe as she too had
escaped the country claiming persecution, decided to risk her own life to
return after finding out that one of her friend's children had
died.
Taking up the story she said: "My friend was in a terrible state,
crying all day and night because one of her babies had died and she wanted to
be with the others.
"She was waiting for clearance from immigration to
bring the children over, but it was taking too long.
"I flew out there
to check on them and found them living in poverty, with no shoes, no food and
no mother.
"I came home and we talked about it and I agreed to fly back
out to see what I could do and spoke to the Zimbabwe High
Commission."
Passport
Mrs Kalonga claims the powers-that-be put
the children's names on her passport although UK officials believe she
tampered with the document herself.
She added: "When we landed at
Heathrow I told immigration that they weren't my children and explained what
had happened. But they took me to one side, interrogated me, arrested me and
before I knew it I was in court and jailed. It happened so quickly, I was in
shock."
Mrs Kalonga, who still has to wear a tag as she has been released
on parole, added: "My main concern when I was in jail was what had happened
to the children. I have since found out that they are with their mother and
have been given asylum in Nottingham.
"I am told they are happy and
are going to school. They have enough to eat and shoes on their feet. It
makes what I did and going to jail worth it. I would do it again in the same
circumstances."
ICC failing numbers game over Zimbabwe By Peter
Roebuck May 23, 2004 The Sun-Herald
Nothing has been resolved
in Zimbabwean cricket. No progress has been made. By cancelling its meeting
after the abandonment of the Test matches, the ICC indicated it was satisfied
with the state of affairs prevailing in that country. Zimbabwean officials
were let off the hook without having to make a promise of any sort. ICC
head Malcolm Speed has spoken with axed Zimbabwe captain Heath Streak and is
familiar with the issues involved. Accordingly, the game's governing body did
not need to ease the pressure on the Zimbabwe Cricket Union at this critical
moment.
Evidently the ICC's sole concern has been the integrity of Test
cricket. Once again cricket's obsession with statistics has led it up the
garden path. The point of the dispute is not the legitimacy of the Zimbabwe
side or the value of the runs scored against it. The bona fides of the ZCU
are under scrutiny.
Peter Chingoka and his cronies have won a great
victory. Malign forces at the ZCU can continue their malpractices unchecked.
About the only hope is that, presented with its own mortality, the ZCU will
come to its senses.
Only cricket works itself into such a lather over
statistics. Of course it is ridiculous that inexperienced shavers have been
elevated to the status of Test cricketers. Of course it is demeaning that
runs and wickets can be easier to gather than in a public park. A
fortnight ago, Kumar Sangakarra and Marvan Atapattu scored
Test double-centuries with the ease of children plucking apples from a tree.
But does anyone really care?
Test cricket has a checkered past. Don
Bradman scored runs against weakened Indian teams led by incompetent
gentlemen. SF Barnes scythed down South African teams that could hardly hold
a bat. Some odd fellows represented Australia during the Packer years. We are
living in an age of soporific pitches and huge scores. Brian Lara has just
hit 400.
Test cricket has never been as pure as traditionalists imagine.
In recent times matches have been fixed yet no attempt made to remove them
from the books. Figures are not the issue.
Cricket has been given a
chance to break the tyranny of the statisticians. It is starting to happen.
Everyone knows that Rahul Dravid produced the best batting of last summer.
No-one dwells on Australia's previous matches against a full-strength
Zimbabwe.
The dispute with the ZCU was caused by its racist policies.
Zimbabwe has no reserve strength because white players like the leg spinners
Strang, Huckle and Murphy have been driven away. Dark deeds have been done in
the name of transformation.
The ICC has ignored this and concentrated
on the reputation of Test cricket. Otherwise it could not have allowed
matches to take place next week without extracting some promise about future
governance. Doubtless officials wanted to stay on the sidelines in the hope
that a compromise might be found. But the ZCU has been taken over by men with
agendas. Streak and company might return but it will not
last.
Australia's willingness to stay behind for one-day matches shows
that Cricket Australia is also reluctant to take sides. But this is an issue
that goes to the core of the game. Doubtless the ZCU needed the money
from television contracts to pay its bills. Since it is already bankrupt in
every other way the finances hardly matter. By the way, those seeking
illumination from the television commentators will have a long
wait.
Cricket cannot duck this issue. The ICC must keep the heat on the
ZCU. Chingoka and company must be reminded that prejudice has no place in
this game. Cricket has survived dictators, wars and terrorists but it cannot
turn a blind eye to the traitor in its own ranks.
International
Cricket Council chief executive Malcolm Speed recommended yesterday that
England delay a decision over their autumn tour of Zimbabwe until after next
month's ICC meeting.
The postponement of Zimbabwe's two-Test series
against Australia earlier yesterday has placed England's trip to the troubled
African nation in further doubt.
The England and Wales Cricket
Board are due to meet on June 8 to discuss the future of a tour which has
been heavily criticised by opponents of Robert Mugabe's despotic
regime.
But Speed suggests the ECB halt their discussions until the
end of June when the ICC are scheduled to hold a series of meetings with
the Zimbabwe issue at the top of the agenda.
"The ECB are better
off waiting to see what happens when we meet next month before making a
decision," Speed said.
"The debate over whether England should
complete this tour began very early and there were always going to be many
twists and turns."
It has been suggested that the ongoing crisis in
Zimbabwean cricket could lead to a suspension from the international game but
Speed insisted that such a drastic course of action was not under
consideration.
He also played down fears of England being hit with
the same punishment should they decide not to proceed with the tour to
Zimbabwe.
"The suggestions of a year's ban for England popped up
some time ago," he said.
"Suspension of a Test-playing nation
can only occur if a majority of ICC directors vote for it - we're not even
close to that.
"No-one is contemplating England's suspension. Any
country can be suspended if they're in breach of regulations but suspension
for England or Zimbabwe is not an idea on the ICC's agenda."
It
had been expected that an ICC vote would be instigated after a lunchtime
teleconference was called to discuss whether the matches between Zimbabwe and
Australia should be accorded Test status.
The Zimbabwe Cricket
Union, however, decided overnight to act and offer to defer the Test series
as previously suggested by the ICC. Zimbabwe, having lost 15 players due to a
dispute between them and the board, were heavily beaten in their recent Test
series against Sri Lanka.
TIMES
NEWS NETWORK[ SUNDAY, MAY 23, 2004 12:36:13 AM ]
The crisis in Zimbabwe
cricket should never have been allowed to fester this long. The ICC has been
lax and senior administrators all over the cricket world callous. Matters
have been spinning out of control for more than 15 months, everybody knew
that what was happening, but nobody did anything. By the time the ICC was
provoked into decisive action, Zimbabwe cricket was in a shambles, and the
sport itself had been considerably shamed.
At one level, the hard
approach of the Robert Mugabe regime is understandable. Zimbabwe , like South
Africa , lived under the sinister clouds of racism for decades. Apartheid was
a blot on human society, and release from such an oppressive system was
always likely to have repercussions, some of them not always the most
logical.
Promoting native values and talent was a stated objective of
governments that overthrew racist regimes and is to be lauded. Sport, because
it has mass appeal and glamour, is often used to showcase political thought.
That this must be done in a level, not bull-headed manner is, of course,
the issue.
In that sense the cancellation of Zimbabwe 's Test series
against Australia is to be supported. It would have reduced the game to a
farce. Sporting conflict demands some kind of parity between the adversaries
to make it enjoyable and credible. You can't match a pea-shooter against a
sten gun.
That said, it is important for the cricketing fraternity to
keep Zimbabwe 's links with cricket alive. The player base in Zimbabwe is
very low. Cricket needs to be promoted extensively and the ICC perhaps needs
to step in now with a scheme that involves former and current players from
other countries to assist in this.