TWO weeks after Joe Mujuru was re-elected president of the Basketball Union of Zimbabwe (Buz), his rivals who lost the election are ratcheting up their efforts to force a re-election, but the National Association of Primary School Heads (Naph) has refused to appeal.
After initial ill-fated efforts to get Mashonaland Central into the dogfight, Mujuru’s opponents have now brought Naph into the mix by attempting to take advantage of a lapse in communication within the organisation to create the impression that Naph was not rightly represented at the elective congress.
Last week, Naph found itself in the centre of the election battle after an affidavit signed by the new Naph head in charge, Hebson Ruvaza confirming his election into office.
This was after the previous Head in charge, Dumisani Mathwasa continued to hold fort, in spite of the election that brought in Ruvaza.
Mathwasa reportedly was not advised that Ruvaza was now the substantive head in charge believing instead that he was still in charge.
The question of who is in charge arose when Mujuru’s opponents suggested that Admire Chafa had illegally been given the proxy to vote on behalf of Naph at the elective congress.
However, leaked chats between Ruvaza, Mathwasa and Buz on the latter’s assembly WhatsApp group point at a breakdown in communication, rather than a deliberate ploy to fix the recent Buz elections.
In one chat, Mathwasa said: “Greetings good people. Protocol does not allow me to discuss Naph issues on this platform. I wish to point out that I confirmed with Mr Ruvaza that he gave Mr Chafa his consent (to vote on behalf of Naph).”
Ruvaza then added his voice to the conversation: “Thank you Buz president for adding me. I am Ruvaza Hebson head of Mtshingwe in Zvishavane next to Mimosa Mine.
Yes, as you rightly say Mr president (I) am the current Head-In-Charge Basketball (HIC) Naph until 2024 when I will hand over the button to someone else.
So, in this group it is only me who represents and speaks for Naph. Ladies and Gentlemen, it is my pleasure to be in this group once again. Thanks Mr Mujuru for adding me.”
Ruvaza goes on to say: “My phone has been busy with calls from Sport and Recreation Commission, lawyers, Journalists and some colleagues here asking or wanting clarity on the same question but let me put the record straight.
“As Naph rep I didn’t know of the Buz Gwanda until 07:29am on 29/02/22 when Mr Chafa phoned me checking if I knew and attending the meeting as Naph HIC.
I told him I wouldn’t make it since I didn’t know about it and on short notice he asked if he could attend the meeting on my behalf and I said if you want you can go.
But let me make this clear if I had known in time but fail to attend the correct Naph procedure is I could have asked one of the provincial heads in charge either of Matabeleland North, Bulawayo, Matabeleland South, Midlands or Masvingo since they are Naph members. However, Naph will not appeal on anything because it isn’t aggrieved in anyway,” Ruvaza told the Buz assembly in the group.
While acknowledging that Buz could have been communicating with the wrong HIC in the lead up the elections, Mujuru said as a union, they could not have known that Mathwasa was no longer the substantive HIC given the he (Mathwasa) also did not know that he was no longer the head in charge.
“As a union we did everything that is expected of us in communication notices to our members and associates.
We communicated with Mathwasa whom we knew as the head in charge and he did the same. Only after people started looking for ways to discredit the election did it come up that Mathwasa was in fact no longer the HIC.
“But unless we receive communication from Naph, we could possibly have not known of these changes. Naph and Nash are not affiliates but partners.
As such, we have no right to demand minutes of their Annual General Meetings as we do with our affiliates which is why sometimes these scenarios will arise.
It is generally their responsibility to communicate to Buz who we should be dealing with and in this case, this was done only this past Wednesday,” he added.
