PLAYERS UNITED

Zimbabwe's cricketers issue ultimatum to board over non-payment of salaries

by Tristan Holme • Published on

Zimbabwe's players are owed match fees dating back to the tour of Sri Lanka last July. © AFP

Zimbabwe's national players have fired a shot across the bows of Zimbabwe Cricket, demanding clarity on when they will be paid their money and threatening to put the upcoming triangular series with Australia and Pakistan in "serious jeopardy". In the first sign of collective action since a nascent players' union disintegrated in 2015, the nationally-contracted players have banded together to take on ZC over unpaid salaries, match fees and bonuses, choosing a prominent local lawyer, Gerald Mlotshwa, to spearhead their campaign.

In a letter addressed to ZC and copied to both the Ministry of Sport and the ICC, Mlotshwa gave ZC until noon on Wednesday (May 16) to provide a written undertaking as to when the outstanding money will be paid. Zimbabwe's players are owed match fees dating back to the tour of Sri Lanka last July, and have not received their salary for the past two months. For some players, this equates to more than USD 60,000.

"There has been no lawful explanation, or justification, whatsoever as to why these amounts are outstanding, and more importantly, when exactly the said amounts, many months in arrears, will be paid," reads a part of the letter, which Cricbuzz has seen. "The stance adopted by ZC is unprofessional, unconscionable and indicative of serious underlying governance and financial management shortcomings impacting on the solvency and going-concern status of Zimbabwe Cricket.

"Each of our clients demand written undertaking, on or before 12 noon, Wednesday 16th May 2018, from Zimbabwe Cricket as to precisely when all amounts due and payable to them shall be paid in full. Failure to do so will, apart from our clients pursuing such legal remedies as may be available to them, place into serious jeopardy the upcoming Triangular Series in July 2018."

The letter, which was written on Wednesday (May 9) and received by ZC the following morning, goes on to say that the players' next actions will depend on ZC's response, and warns against attempts to intimidate the players.

ZC's ability to pay the outstanding salaries received a blow two weeks ago when their request for an advance from the ICC fell on deaf ears. It is thought that the next significant inflow of cash may only come with their next ICC disbursement in July.

The plight of Zimbabwe's players is just the latest cause to be taken up by Mlotshwa, who is also representing former coach Heath Streak, batting coach Lance Klusener and fitness coach Sean Bell in the wake of their dismissal by ZC. On top of that, Mlotshwa is handling a USD 1m libel suit laid against ZC chairman Tavengwa Mukuhlani by Streak over comments made in the media.

But Mlotshwa's most telling representation may be the case he is making on behalf of cricket stakeholders - some of whom are attached to the Zimbabwe Cricket Family group - highlighting areas in which ZC are alleged to have broken their own constitution. The lack of necessary qualifications among ZC board members is just one among a number of legal issues to have been raised.

That case matured on Tuesday when Zimbabwe's sports minister, Kazembe Kazembe, called for the Sports and Recreation Commission to carry out "an urgent financial audit of the finances and general corporate governance of Zimbabwe Cricket".

"We asked the SRC to get to the bottom of the issues that have been raised, issues to do with the performance, the firing of the technical team and other related issues like the debt that everyone is talking about, the USD 19 million debt," Kazembe told ZBC, the government broadcaster.

"We would want to find out how that debt came about and why ZC finds itself in this situation, obviously with a view to finding lasting solutions. We are perturbed as the government and we have tasked the SRC to institute a commission of inquiry and also to ensure that there is a forensic audit carried out in the interest of the nation."

© Cricbuzz

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