Open letter to Peter Chingoka

sment for a side that was no better than a club side. I really feel sorry for our young lads, as it was “lambs to the slaughter” even against a mediocre West Indies side.
I now comment regarding your response to our letter addressed to the President of the International Cricket Council (ICC), dated 11 March 2006.What you are trying to do by disbanding all current Provincial Associations and their elected boards is in total contravention of legitimate constitutional procedure.
Through your and the SRC.’s actions you have totally disregarded and violated the current Legitimate Constitution. The Constitution is legal and binding until such time as a new Constitution has been drafted and approved by all the Stakeholders, following the required procedure. Final acceptance by the Stakeholders would be at a Special General Meeting.
You have now unilaterally disbanded all the democratically elected Provincial Boards and are currently imposing your own non-constitutionally “hand-picked” Boards to 10 new administrative provinces under the guise of the SRC. We have no objection to the SRC requirement that Provincial demarcations be amended for clarity, but as stated in their letter of 4th November 2005 “these changes have to be done constitutionally.”
All this because we, as Provincial Chairmen, received a mandate from our players (the majority of whom are black) and clubs at our Provincial Chairmen”s meetings in September and October last year to confront the ZC Board with a list of serious allegations concerning their conduct and accountability. To date this has not been forthcoming.
I am a genuine, cricket loving, patriotic Zimbabwean and have no ambitions of wresting control of ZC. I have been a successful businessman in Zimbabwe for the past 25 years, and have supported and assisted local cricket without seeking reward or compensation for my efforts. I do however want accountability, something that is sadly lacking in Zimbabwe. What evidence do we hold? Do you honestly believe that we would have submitted about fifty questions, in writing (in our letter dated 28th October 2005), seeking your response, if we did not have evidence to back them up?
You continue labeling me a racist but you, of all people, know of the work that I have done at my own expense to promote and develop the game in Kadoma, Chegutu and the Districts over the last 10 years. I don’t seek recognition for this, I never have, and I do it because I want to. I can produce 1000 witnesses, all black, to back me up on this. I could go on ‘ad nauseam’ in response to your labelling of Ethan Dube as an ‘Uncle Tom’, me as a ‘racist’, defending yourself and Mr Bvute whilst hiding behind the SRC, integration, and legal jargon.
You and the ICC have all entirely missed the point. We want answers to our questions on issues of bad governance, financial concerns and rumours. The players have given us this mandate, and we demand that they be answered and not swept under the carpet. You suggest that the investigations are over, dream on, they are only just beginning.
I believe it is high time that the ICC sent a delegation here to meet with the Stakeholders and see first hand the sorry state of affairs the game in Zimbabwe has deteriorated to under the current ZC Board. – CHARLES A ROBERTSON, For and on behalf of the Elected Provincial Chairmen & Cricket Stakeholders