Zimbabwe board steps in to scrap old provinces

The interim executive of Zimbabwe Cricket has announced that it has dissolved the existing five provinces and replaced them with ten new boards.

The move, which had been planned for some time, further weakens opposition to Peter Chingoka, the ZC chairman, and his executive as many of the existing provincial board members are now to all intents and purposes redundant.

A statement issued by ZC said that it had received applications for affiliation from five provinces around the country - Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland East, Mashonaland West, Matabeleland North and Matabeleland South - and that it had "affiliated them in line with the policy of the country's sports regulatory authority, the Sports and Recreation Commission, for national sporting associations to devolve along the country's 10 administrative provinces."

"In affiliating the five, we have not only implemented one of the Interim Committee's terms of reference but also continued with the ZC mission of spreading the game to all the corners of the country without regard to race or creed," Chingoka explained. "We will continue working with the new affiliates to create provincial cricket administrative structures."

Three of the five - Manicaland, Masvingo and Midlands - were dissolved because they did not "conform with the new geographical limitations of their central government administrative namesakes". The other two - the more infulential Mashonaland and Matabeleland - have effectively been split in smaller units.

Much of the opposition to Chingoka has centred on the old established provinces, and their demise and division will ease the pressure on the board. Furthermore, ZC, which has effectively cleansed itself of any dissenters in recent months, will appoint interim committees to run the new entities pending the drawing up of new constitutions and fresh elections.

The new ZC affiliates are as follows:
Harare Metropole Provincial Cricket Association
Bulawayo Metropole Provincial Cricket Association
Matabeleland North Provincial Cricket Association
Matabeleland South Provincial Cricket Association
Mashonaland Central Provincial Cricket Association
Mashonaland East Provincial Cricket Association
Mashonaland West Provincial Cricket Association
Manicaland Provincial Cricket Association
Masvingo Provincial Cricket Association
Midlands Provincial Cricket Association