Ebrahim: 'Zimbabwe cricket on the brink'

Macsood Ebrahim, the head of Zimbabwe's national selection panel, has hit out at what he says are Zimbabwe Cricket-backed attempts to oust him as chairman of Masvingo.

Ebrahim has been at the heart of Zimbabwe cricket for a number of years and is a controversial figure. It was his presence as the head of selectors that irked the rebels during the strike in 2004, especially as he had not played cricket to any serious level. But in recent months he has publicly fallen out with senior Zimbabwe Cricket officials, and it is well known that he has clashed with Ozias Bvute, the board's high-profile managing director.

On October 21, Ebrahim represented Masvingo at the meeting of provincial chairmen which really stoked the fires of unrest and triggered a swift response from ZC. On the same day, it announced the creation of five new provinces.

Ebrahim said that it was only when the established provinces started asking probing questions about the conduct of ZC that the trouble started and pressure began to be brought on local officials. "That is when people decided that the wanted to fix the provinces," he explained, "Three men - Peter Chingoka [the ZC chairman] Bvute and Tavengwa Mukuhlani [the former chairman of Mashonaland] came and did a presentation at Gerths Mine which falls under my province. I would understand that the chairman was in Masvingo, but what was Mukuhlani doing there. Who was he representing?"

The presence of Mukuhlani was a particular blow as he and Ebrahim had stood together during the strike, although it was Mukuhlani who, at the AGM in September, moved that Ebrahim be removed as the head convenor.

Ebrahim went on to say that unbeknown to him, the three then arranged a meeting of clubs, and within days the province was in chaos. "Put two and two together and ask yourself why is it that we did not have problems in Masvingo until the three gentlemen visited?"

Ebrahim insisted that his board members did not convene the meeting and so it was illegal as it was not done giving the required 14 days notice. "If people want to cause chaos in Masvingo, they can so, but they have to read the Masvingo constitution first. The chairman of Masvingo is elected by delegate at the AGM, and no board member has the legitimate right to pass a vote of no confidence. So it's just a couple of board members being used by individuals.

"I have eight board members. Six of them are loyal to me. Its not politics, but they are aware of the unquestionable giant strides we have made. We have done wonders in a province that had virtually no serious cricket until we started putting up a lot of hard work in it."

But how does Ebrahim respond to suggestions from on high that there are forces inside Zimbabwe cricket who have hidden agendas? "If people say there are camps in Zimbabwe cricket, they are lying. There are no camps. It's a case of six provinces and the players being together. It's a case of stakeholders versus two or three individuals bent on holding on to power.

"If we do not sort this out, cricket is finished in Zimbabwe. It's already on the brink. We have to ask ourselves a lot of questions like why has Heath Streak put county ahead of country when he had earlier committed himself to playing for Zimbabwe? Why is that people want to pretend the problems started after the AGM in Bualwayo. When the players wrote that petition, was it not before Bulawayo. The players were supposed to be given contracts on September 1. So what happened?"

But ZC holds a trump card in that under its constitution it can make appointments regionally. And, says Ebrahim, that is something it is using to its advantage. "Nick Singo, who is general manager in Masvingo, was called by someone from the ZC to say he was being promoted to Matabeleland on November 1. But Singo is loyal to his board, so he said he was not willing to leave, but he later agreed and said he needed time.

"He has now received another call from ZC and is being charged with disobedience! And Matabeleland have written to ZC saying they will not accept a person imposed on them. So I have now taken it upon myself to say Singo will not leave Masvingo. They want to destroy a good employee and we will not accept that. These are the laws of the jungle.

"Then my office was invaded by one Lazarus Zizhou, who was fired by Bvute last year, saying he had been sent by Bvute and that he was now our new general manager. They have also roped in a guy called Square Square, who was fired last year for instigating the problems in Mashonaland."

It appears to be the same story in other provinces. In Manicaland, Supa Mandiwanzira, a broadcaster who is reported to have close links with the board, seems to have muscled in despite having no cricketing credentials.

"Legally, the chairmen are still at the helm," Ebrahim insisted. But with the state-controlled media keen to portray this as a racial issue and with considerable pressure being brought to bear, the question is how long before ZC regains its grip.

"What need to be done now is to call for a ZC board meeting within seven days, which the provincial chairman have asked them to do," he reflected. "As for the provinces, they are still legally in the hands of their chairmen and boards."

The omens are not good, and Ebrahim faces a battle for survival. But he has a powerful supporter in his father, the respected Justice Ahmed Ebrahim, and a number of other allies. Surprisingly, given the fallout with the rebels, these now include many of the players who cause he has been backing in recent months.

And while ZC might be able to wield enough muscle to influence the provincial boards so that they back it, the players will not be so easy to win over, and they seem to regard Ebrahim as being particularly dangerous as he is the one administrator who might be able to make a difference. That accounts for the growing campaign in the media of disinformation over his position.

And the questions that senior and experienced administrators, like Ebrahim and Charlie Robertson, have raised still need answering. No amount of racial and political smokescreens will make them go away.