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Sports Reporter
THE arrest of Sport and Recreation Commission acting director-general Joseph Muchechetere on Tuesday on two counts of abuse of office has thrown the spotlight on the decision to use the regulatory body to launch a forensic audit into the affairs of Zimbabwe Cricket.

The Sports Commission have also been at loggerheads with ZIFA over a number of issues, including accusations from the football controlling body that the SRC are part of a shadowy syndicate which has been trying to destablise operations at the football controlling body.

Muchechetere, who appeared in court on Wednesday, and Sports Commission chairman, Edward Siwela, have – in particular – been singled out by ZIFA leaders for meddling in their internal affairs.

Muchechetere’s arrest and appearance in court is expected to open the lid on problems rocking the sport regulatory body amid accusations he allegedly took advantage of his position to abuse the trust bestowed on him.

He allegedly opened two bank accounts, which were parallel to those of the SRC accounts, where he received donated funds from foreign organisations amounting to $2 132 384.

He appeared before Harare magistrate Rumbidzai Mugwagwa who granted him $200 bail and remanded him to October 11.

Prosecuting, Sebastian Mutizirwa alleged that on February 7 2008, SRC entered into a tripartite cooperation agreement with the funders, namely Norwegian Olympic and Paralympic Committee and Confederation of Sports and the United Nations Children’s Fund, for community sport development and youth education through sport, in Zimbabwe.

During the same period, the Community Sport Development Programme Department was formed within the SRC to oversee the implementation of the project.

It is alleged that between 2009 and 2015, Muchechetere caused the opening of two bank accounts parallel to those of the SRC where donated funds were banked.

He went on to manage and approve the finances of CSDP outside the normal system of SRC finance department, which is contrary to the SRC Act, the State alleged.

As a result, through these bank accounts, Muchechetere received a total of $2 132 384 from the funders, which he is alleged to have used to implement the project.

The Sports Commission’s CSDP was a project wholly funded by NIF from 2008, while UNICEF was an implementing partner which was working directly with SRC.

UNICEF were initially overseeing the project funds and NIF were sending evaluators annually after completion of each project cycle in order to evaluate success.

UNICEF, however, then pulled out of the partnership after disagreement on technicalities of the funding use and reporting system.

An audit report prepared by a Harare chartered accountancy firm recently raised stink in the manner in which the Sports Commission has been managed in the last two years, with the audit firm also warning on the sustainability of the sports body as a going concern.

Questions are now being asked about the wisdom of using the same Sports Commission, who have one of their principal office bearers being accused of abuse of office in funds amounting to more than $2 million, to investigate associations like Zimbabwe Cricket.

The SRC were recently ordered by the Sports Ministry to launch investigations into the financial affairs of Zimbabwe Cricket related to the funds which the local cricket governing body received from the International Cricket Council.

‘’The funny thing that has developed here, in the wake of the latest developments, is that the Government is actually spending money to look into issues related to funding that was coming into the ZC coffers from the ICC through this forensic audit,’’ sources said.

‘’And, the organisation which has been receiving money from the Government on a yearly basis, is the one that was tasked with doing the investigations when, as has emerged in recent days, they are the ones whose activities are now being questionable to the extent that one of their principal office bearers has now been dragged into court.

‘’In the wake of the recent developments, questions have to be asked as to whether the SRC are getting into this probe with dirty hands, given all the skeletons in their cupboards, and whether they have the moral high ground now to do such an exercise.

‘’Critically, and this is what is even more important, is that questions have also to be asked as to why there appears to have been little supervision on the activities of the Sports Commission itself from their principals, given that this is an organisation that receives direct financial injections from the Government and such public money should be accounted for, when all the eyes were being directed towards the Associations?

‘’The Associations receive most of their funding from their international partners, who say they are happy with how their funds have been handled, but the organisation which receives money from the Government has, as the audit and recent developments revealed, has gone without the supervision that should come from their principals.

‘’It’s a funny arrangement and raises a number of questions that need to be answered because it appears, reading from the audit and the other allegations, the SRC has been left to have their feast, without being disturbed, while focus – in terms of ensuring malpractice is eliminated from such public enterprises – has been shifted to the Associations.’’