The Herald
By Robson Sharuko
25 March 2010
Harare — THE Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture, David Coltart, has taken his gospel — in support of Zimbabwe Cricket — to the New Zealand public with a passionate defence of this country as a safer place to visit for the Black Caps than either the United Kingdom or South Africa.
The New Zealand cricketers postponed their tour of Zimbabwe, scheduled to get underway on June 10, because of claims they were concerned about the safety of their players in this country.
It’s the second time, in as many years, that the Black Caps have postponed the tour of Zimbabwe and the New Zealand Cricket board now want the matches delayed until next year or played at a neutral venue.
“It is clear from our recent discussions that the Government’s assessment of the security situation in Zimbabwe has not changed from that of a year ago, when the scheduled tour was postponed,” said New Zealand Cricket chief executive Justin Vaughan.
Zimbabwe Cricket managing director Ozias Bvute described the decision taken by the Black Caps as one based on incorrect information and insisted his organisation would not agree to shift the matches to a neutral venue.
World cricket powerhouse India have agreed to tour Zimbabwe in June.
Yesterday Coltart, whose ministry is in charge of sport in this country, took his battle to the New Zealand public with a passionate letter — which was published in yesterday’s issue of the New Zealand Herald — questioning the decision to postpone the tour.
Coltart said he found it strange that the Black Caps could decide to stay away from Zimbabwe, on the basis of imaginary security and safety concerns, when it was clear that this country was a safer place to visit than the United Kingdom, South Africa or even the Indian sub-continent.
The minister said New Zealand was wasting a golden opportunity to be remembered as a nation that helped Zimbabwe Cricket during its journey back from the darkness, after years in which the sport was torn by internal strife.
There were concrete signs that Zimbabwe Cricket is stepping back to life — after a lengthy period of paralysis triggered by boardroom battles that were entrenched in race complications — and key figures have returned to help the game.
Coltart believes domestic cricket had the potential to play the same unifying role that was played by rugby, in the sensitive period shortly after Nelson Mandela’s release from prison, in bringing South Africa together. “Clint Eastwood’s recent film Invictus about Nelson Mandela’s efforts to use the 1995 Rugby World Cup to forge unity in post-apartheid South Africa is a powerful reminder of the positive role sport can play in assisting countries in transition,” wrote Coltart.
“Whilst there are obvious differences between South Africa in the early 1990s and Zimbabwe today, there are many similarities. “We are in transition; we too have to forgive those responsible for terrible things done in the last decade; there are still those who will do all in their power to derail the peaceful process. “Just as rugby was able to bind a nation together then I believe cricket can play a similar role in Zimbabwe today.
Furthermore, when it is the clear wish of former Zimbabwean cricketers such as Heath Streak and Grant Flower, now both national coaches who have also suffered in the last decade, that this tour should go ahead, they too should be listened to.”
Coltart said it was unfortunate for New Zealand to use concerns over player security as the reason to delay the tour.
“What I am absolutely convinced of is that by asking the New Zealand team to travel there are substantially less safety and security risks involved than there are in touring the United Kingdom, the subcontinent or indeed South Africa,” wrote Coltart.
“We do not have any terrorist or Al-Qaeda threat in Zimbabwe — bombs have not gone off in Harare as they have in London or Mumbai in the last decade. Crime rates in Harare and Bulawayo are far below those in Johannesburg and Cape Town.
“In short, Zimbabwe is one of the safest places to travel to and the apparent safety concerns of the New Zealand government are simply misplaced and not based on fact. “I have no doubt that if the New Zealand team decides to honour its obligation to tour Zimbabwe in June they will find they will be welcomed by all with remarkable warmth and friendliness. “In the process they will help Zimbabwe cricket in its quest to regain Test status, bring much joy to the Zimbabwean cricketing public and greatly help our peaceful transition to democracy in Zimbabwe.
“I hope that the New Zealand government will have the vision and boldness to enable this to happen.”
Coltart feels there was more to the developments, surrounding New Zealand’s decision, than just player concern.
“I cannot help but feel that there are unspoken reasons behind the New Zealand government’s decision to discourage the New Zealand cricket team from touring Zimbabwe in June 2010,” he said.
“Prime Minister John Key is reported as stating that the main concern was for ‘player safety.’ But I fear there is more to it than that. “I believe, in particular, there are deep-rooted concerns about human rights abuses within Zimbabwe, scepticism regarding the transitional agreement and its chances of survival and, perhaps, distaste for the fact that certain personalities are still in office. “If I am correct in this assumption one understands why this has not been stated openly — because New Zealand may then become liable to pay damages to Zimbabwe Cricket. “Be that as it may I believe there are compelling reasons why the tour should go ahead. I write this in the context of being a human rights lawyer who has opposed human rights abuses in Zimbabwe for the last 27 years.”
Coltart believes that people like him, who live and work in this country, had a better judgment of what was unfolding.
“Firstly, those of us in the MDC (Movement for Democratic Change) are ourselves deeply concerned about human rights abuses and our collective failure as a transitional government to fully implement the transitional agreement,” wrote Coltart.
“However, putting it negatively, this agreement is the only viable non-violent option we have. The agreement has a positive side, too. Despite our failure to implement it fully, we have made remarkable progress in the last year. “The economy has stabilised. Schools have been reopened. Hospitals and clinics now have drugs and the cholera epidemic of 2008 stopped. There has been a massive downturn in the number of human rights abuses. “Importantly, maladministration in cricket is being addressed, racism and tribalism in team selection has ended and former doyens of the sport, such as Heath Streak, have been re-integrated.
“Secondly, for all the political rhetoric, the fact is that the political agreement is functional and is gradually being implemented in its entirety (and) as demonstrated by the successful visit of President Zuma to Harare this week there is progress and in my view there is no danger of the agreement collapsing in the near future.
“Thirdly, and most importantly, our friends in the international community have an obligation to help those of us acting in good faith to make this peaceful process work and sport has a critically important role to play in this regard.”