ASHER MOYO
SPORTS REPORTER
BULAWAYO -Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) chairman Tavengwa Mukuhlani has retained his position for another third four-year term during the organisation’s elective annual general meeting held in Bulawayo on Saturday last week.
Sylvester Matshaka will continue deputizing Mukuhlani.
In accordance with the ZC constitution, Zimbabwe’s 10 provincial cricket associations gathered and first elected seven members of the national Board from among themselves.
The seven provinces who made it onto the new Board are: Bulawayo Metropolitan (Mr Godwin Dube), Harare Metropolitan (Tafadzwa Madoro), Manicaland (Godfrey Nyadongo), Mashonaland East ( Godfrey Kaswa), Mashonaland West ( Ronald Chibwe), Matabeleland South ( Arthur Maposa) and Midlands ( John Makuwalo).
The provinces then elected onto the Board five directors nominated on the basis of their special skills: Mukuhlani, Matshaka, Maureen Kuchocha, Lloyd Mhishi and Blessing Ngondo.
Afterwards, the new Board members elected the Chairman and Vice-Chairman from among themselves.
Delivering his acceptance speech, Mukuhlani said he was humbled by being elected once again. He added that his position comes with a lot of responsibility.
“Thank you for once again for showing confidence in me to lead you for another four years as Chairman of Zimbabwe Cricket. It’s a position that comes with a lot of responsibility, it’s a position that comes with a lot of honour and pride to represent Zimbabwe and to lead this organisation and I don’t take it for granted,” he said.
Mukuhlani said Cricket has transformed and touched so many lives as it is becoming one of the most popular and supported sports in the country.
“We have shown in the past eight years our ability to transform this sport into an industry that creates opportunities for young athletes and professionals.
“We are one of the biggest employers in sport today in Zimbabwe, we are one of the biggest foreign currency earners for the country in sport today and we can only do better.
“The more we do better, the more we touch lives through sport – we can change the lives of young athletes from disadvantaged backgrounds by way of having a successful sport code in cricket. You will agree with me that (Sikandar) Raza has become a household name in Zimbabwe.
“He came to Zimbabwe as an immigrant but today we are all proud of what he has achieved and it goes to show what sport can do in our society,” he said.
He said cricket has a big role to play.
“We have a role to play in the bigger picture of the game and we are all here to serve the game. We are here to serve fans, we are here to deliver a product to the fans and we are here to deliver a product to the market. We need to be an accountable organisation, we need to be accountable people, we need to be accountable provinces, we need to show leadership at every level,” he said.
