AE BOARD COLLAPSES
● Association’s president says he is awaiting direction from World Athletics
MBABANE – The resignation of three executive members has led to the collapse of Athletics Eswatini (AE).
According to the AE constitution, a Board cannot function without the required number of Board members, which is six as per Article 16.1. The article states that the control of AE is delegated to the executive Board, consisting of six individuals: The president, vice-president, treasurer, gender chairperson (female), one additional member appointed by the elected Board, and the secretary general (non-voting).
Vice President Sipho Vilakati, additional member Zabenguni Mkhatshwa, and Gender Equity Chairperson Sanele Manana have resigned from their positions on the AE executive Board, rendering the Board dysfunctional. This situation also prevents the formation of a quorum, as stated in Article 18.1, which requires three voting members to be present for a meeting.
Article 21.5 of the AE’s Constitution addresses a vote of no confidence, stating that if two-thirds of the membership in a properly constituted meeting pass a vote of no confidence against a member or the entire Board, a three-member adhoc committee will be appointed by the membership floor. The secretary general or chief executive officer (CEO) assumes the chairmanship for this appointment, as stated in Article 21.6.
Preisdent
It is worth noting that the resignation letters addressed to President Zakhele Dlamini cited his conduct as the reason for the members’ decisions. The letters mentioned that the president had turned the association into a personal entity and that his rule overrides the Board and the AE constitution, which is in conflict with the constitution.
The letters also expressed concerns about decisions made by Dlamini, that were not sanctioned by the Board and were outside of his powers as president, such as the refusal to facilitate a special general meeting for AE clubs and the appointment of a disciplinary committee (DC).
In response to the resignations, the president stated: “We are still waiting to hear from World Athletics through Confederation of Africa Athletics (CAA) regarding the latest developments. In the meantime, we have received resignations from three Board members.
“While we can not speak to the specifics of their resignations, it is clear that they were controlled by outside forces. The same language and mistakes were present in all three resignation letters, and they were signed with scanned signatures. We can only conclude that these Board members were not acting on their own. This raises serious questions about the integrity of our organisation.”
Manzini Athletics Club expressed their jubilation regarding the resignation of these members, but also mentioned their sadness due to the difficulties they had to endure. They stated that the actions and reasons for the resignations support their previous claims. They further mentioned that they were waiting for mentorship to make the final decision on this issue and hoped to receive justice for what they had been through.
Disagreements
The disagreements within AE started around August to September last year when clubs petitioned for a special general meeting, which was turned down by the AE. Despite two petitions, their request was not granted.
Eventually, Manzini Athletics Club and Coach Muzi Mabuza were singled out and charged with misconduct. They were found guilty and faced penalties, including a fine and a ban from AE. The Eswatini Sports and Recreational Council (ESRC) intervened and arranged a reconciliation meeting for the aggrieved parties, but the issues remained unresolved.