Breaking news: Chingoka and Bvute 'removed from office'

[SirBloody Idiot]

Sorry if it has been posted, I did a search though.

The Zimbabwe crisis

Chingoka and Bvute 'removed from office'

Cricinfo staff

December 2, 2005

Reports are emerging from Zimbabwe that Peter Chingoka, the Zimbabwe Cricket chairman, and Ozias Bvute, the managing director, have disappeared overnight.

The claim was made by Tatenda Taibu in an interview with the BBC. He suggested that Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe's president, had stepped in and had them removed from office.

A source in Harare said that the homes of Chingoka and Bvute were raided by the police at 4am but it was suspected that they had already been tipped off as they were not there.

Clive Field, the players' representative, said that, if true, it would have a "huge impact". He added that "the ICC and the big stakeholders need to get involved and realise they have to do something."

More to follow.

© Cricinfo

I have absolutely no idea what it means, but it looked important.

 

[Nate]

Wow. Start of something great?

 

[Lyell_Chris]

Sounds like Mugabe will just take over

 

[Nate]

The end of something great?

 

[marc71178]

One can but hope.

Interesting how they were "tipped off" though.

 

[PY]

Taibu also said that the political situation in Zimbabwe had, and I quote, "nothing" to do with the cricketing situation in Zimbabawe.

Now that was a surprise to me.

 

[marc71178]

Taibu also said that the political situation in Zimbabwe had, and I quote, "nothing" to do with the cricketing situation in Zimbabawe.

Yes, and the moon is made of cheese.

 

[Chubb]

if Mugabe has turned on ZC, and he might well have done given the bad press they've been getting, then I would not like to be Chingoka or Bvute right now. They use torture in Zimbabwe...

This is extremely important news for Zimbabwe- the moment I saw it on cricinfo I rushed here. The effect cannot be ascertained until we know why they have been taken. Have they been arrested following the Central Bank's investigation (see Zimbabwe Domestic thread for more details)? Has Mugabe gone for them? We don;t know yet, we'll have to monitor the situation.

About Tatenda's claims about the political situation; It's very difficult for a black person in Zimbabwe to criticise the regime. He's been very careful, seperating the politics from the sport. I think what he really cares about is seeing cricket run properly; he can do something about that.

 

[Langeveldt]

An interesting development.. So corruption taking over corruption (while the ICC sits back, relaxes and guarantees that we'll probably be seeing Zimbobwe playing in ten years time)

 

[open365]

ahhh nuts,i'm going to have to change my article on Zimbabwe cricket now....

 

[Neil Pickup]

Bvute and Chingoka still in charge
Cricinfo staff
December 2, 2005

Earlier reports that Peter Chingoka, the Zimbabwe Cricket chairman, and Ozias Bvute, the managing director, had been removed from office have been fervently denied by Bvute himself.

Speaking to Cricinfo, Bvute said that the rumour that his house had been raised by police at 4am was "simply not true" and that, contrary to reports, both he and Chingoka were still in Harare and in full charge of ZC.

The original suggestion that the pair had been removed from office was made by Tatenda Taibu, the former Zimbabwe captain, in an interview with the BBC. He suggested that Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe's president, had stepped in and had them removed from office. "The president said, 'Enough is enough, they had to go'," Taibu claim. "But when they looked for them, they couldn't find them."

Bvute said factions opposed to the ZC board had "found it convenient to tell these malicious stories to discredit us. I was asleep at 4am and left my house at 8am this morning to go to work. I have not been raided and I don't believe anyone has raided Mr Chingoka's house either."

© Cricinfo

Just what the hell is going on?!

 

[Slow Love™]

Latest update:

Government could move to suspend Zimbabwe board

There were also unconfirmed reports that Themba Mliswa, the controversial figure whose threats forced former Zimbabwe captain Tatenda Taibu into early retirement, might be appointed as chairman of the interim board. Mliswa, a hardline Zanu-PF supporter, was at the conference as a delegate. He has been active inside cricket in the last couple of months, first as chairman of a new province in Mashonaland West and also in Matabeleland North and South where he has helped to set up new committees.

Were this to be true and Mliswa was to be handed such an important role, then it would undoubtedly signal a mass exodus of the remaining players and administrators, as not only is his background well known inside Zimbabwe, but his appointment would end any lingering claims the board has of being apolitical.

The Zimbabwe government's sudden interest in cricket stems from the realisation that millions of dollars in foreign currency is generated by the sport, but much of that never reaches the country as it does not go through the proper channels and remains in accounts overseas. It was for breaching such rules that last week two players were imprisoned, and Chingoka and Ozias Bvute were arrested and subsequently released.

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Putting Mliswa in charge of the ZCU is almost like taunting the ICC to actually do something. Not that I expect it to happen.