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Takudzwa Chitsiga Sports Reporter
SPORTS and Recreation Minister Makhosini Hlongwane has called on the Zimbabwe Boxing Federation to hold elections that will see a substantive leadership taking over.

The elections will be monitored by the Sports Commission as the ministry wants to ensure that the poll is credible.

The Lovemore Malianga-led executive is expected to be shown the door after several complaints by some promoters and boxers who felt they had let down the sport.

Hlongwane, who was on a fact-finding mission, met the association together with Sports Commission officials and called for new elections as soon as possible.

The differences within ZBF have seen the sport suffer as the last elections were held in 2010.

Several stakeholders from Chitungwiza, Epworth and Mbare were part of the meeting.

Malianga said they will comply with the ministerial directive.

“What I have heard here is uncalled for, the last elections were held in 2010, I also understand that some people are just pushing for their relatives when it comes to national events which, in my view, is corruption,” said Hlongwane.

“I urge the authorities to hold an annual meeting and start to run the association transparently.

“There is need to resuscitate the sport as you can see there are a lot of people who are interested in the sport but it is the way things have been done that is not pleas- ing.

“I am a bit impressed with the professional side who seem to be organised but it is in the amateur ranks where talent comes from so we cannot ignore them.

“I hope we will have more professional female boxers and we will try to bring the sport into the mining communities who, for a long time, had been promoting sport.”

Hlongwane also took a swipe to Sports Commission for turning a blind eye on amateur box- ing.

“The state of the sport is so worrying, there is no adherence to rules, associations should operate above board, the SRC was so lenient to ZBF.

“Rules matter a lot because that is the only way we can avoid corruption,” said Hlogwane.