HARARE - Renowed sports administrator Robert Mutsauki on Saturday urged local sports administrators to uplift Zimbabwean sport.
In recent years, maladministration and gaffs by local sports administrators has seen the country fail to make an impact on the international stage.
Last month, the Zimbabwe Golf Association forgot to enter the country for this year’s edition of the Eisenhower Trophy resulting in Zimbabwe’s place at the competition being revoked.
This is just one classical example of many in which local administrators have totally failed the nation by making some glaring management mistakes.
Mutsauki, who was speaking as the guest of honour at the Zimbabwe Olympic Committee (Zoc) Advanced Sport Management Course (AMSC) graduation ceremony, said administrators have been the weakest link in Zimbabwe’s pursuit of glory on the sporting front and need to step up their game.
“This is a very demanding course and not all students graduate with the worst case scenario being the first intake where 14 out 25 students graduated,” said the former Zoc chief executive officer.
“The most critical element is for us to see what impact the programme has on the organisations that we are working for so to the graduates, the work begins here, what you choose to do after the graduation is worthwhile.
“This is a serious investment by Zoc in human capital and what they are basically trying to do is to help you help yourself.
“But are we seeing improvements in both the individuals and the organisations that we are working for? We have very good examples of AMSC graduates who are running down their own organisations but one hopes that on a balance scale we do have more positives that negatives.”
The post graduate diploma was instituted in 2008 ironically when Mutsauki was still in charge at Zoc.
This year’s edition saw 22 graduates being conferred with diplomas. This takes the total number of AMSC graduates to 126 out of 154 students indicating a 52 percent pass rate since the inception of the programme.
The graduates were drawn from diverse backgrounds such as athletics, rugby, wrestling, Kyokushin Union of Zimbabwe, football, volleyball, hockey, basketball, gymnastics, Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, tertiary institutions and the Sports and Recreation Commission.
“Zoc is playing a leading role among other African national committees. Having 126 students graduating since 2008 is a real critical mass that you can even start a revolution with,” said Mutsauki, who is now working as a sports consultant.
AMSC Graduates: Simba Dzvimbu (SRC), Charmaine Chamboko (Harare Basketball Association), Humphrey Chigwedere (Hockey), Lazarus Chatukuta (Bodybuilding), Edfree January (Gymnastics), Edmund Njazi (Rugby), Simba Nyamariwata (St. Georges College), Tawanda Sithole (Volleyball), James Maganga (SRC), Simon Masaka (SRC), Nixon Mawere (Ministry of Education), Jivas Makusha (Ministry of Education), Paradza Jakuvosi (volleyball), Stephen Mudawarima (KyoKushin Union of Zimbabwe), Hugo Ribatika (Riple Communications), Petros Musiwacho (Chinhoyi University), Zebediah Kubvoruno (Naaz), Peter Mawere (ZSCORE), Eric Banda (Basketball), Tapiwa Masinire (Zimbabwe Wrestling Federation), Passmore Chimbanda (SRC), Kumbirai Mpofu (Minstry of Education.)