Gems, ZINA haggle over allowances

AS has seemingly become the norm, the Zimbabwe Netball Association (ZINA) and senior national team players have once again clashed, with the athletes accusing the administrators of reneging on a pledge to pay them bonuses and allowances.

The Gems travelled to Botswana for the African Championships, which ran between November 26 and December 6.

Coach Ropafadzo Mutsauki and his team managed a bronze medal finish at the tournament.

But the association and the players are now haggling over remuneration.

It is understood that prior to their journey to Botswana, the Gems had camped for a fortnight in Harare, during which ZINA only paid each player US$50 for their daily allowances.

This did not go down well with the players, who have been questioning the way the senior side’s sponsorship from Nedbank has been handled.

The players reportedly failed to raise a complaint as they feared being victimised.

“We only got US$50 just after the tournament and the association promised to pay our dues once we got back home,” said a senior player who chose to remain anonymous.

“If they had opened up before the tournament to say they cannot or were not going to pay us, we would have made up our minds whether to go ahead and play or not.”

The players are demanding allowances for the period they were in camp in Harare, as well as appearance fees and daily allowances during the tournament.

Another player noted that ZINA’s failure to offer players proper contracts has often led to problems.

“The issue of players not signing any contractual agreements whenever called up for national duty is leaving players disgruntled in most cases,” said the player.

“It has been long since we asked for reforms. We need clear contracts so that we go into the tournament knowing our wages because we survive on the game.

“Having a clear contract will give us room to negotiate if we feel so and, besides, walking onto the pitch knowing what we should be paid will give us the urge to want to play harder.”

To their credit, Nedbank, as the principal sponsors, have fulfilled their commitment by paying for the team’s travel expenses, gym subscription, travel insurance and participation fees.

At the 2023 Netball World Cup, they invested over US$72 000 on the team’s expenses. They went on to pay US$500 allowances in cash for each participant, an amount which was handed over directly to the players.

Nedbank Zimbabwe head of treasury (acting marketing, public relations and client services) Latifa Kassim indicated that the bank had poured over

US$30 000 into the coffers in the ZINA period just before the African Championships.

“I will need to check what the payments included but in total it was over US$30 000,” she said.

president ZINA Leticia Chipandu maintains that her association paid the players in full.

“We paid their monies; I do not know what they are talking about,” Chipandu said.

She, however, reportedly told players in Botswana that they would get their dues on return to Zimbabwe, as they had been awaiting the release of funds from their sponsors because they had submitted their paperwork late.

“Having a clear contract will give us room to negotiate if we feel so and, . . . walking onto the pitch knowing what we should be paid will give us the urge to want to play harder.”