South Africa suspends Zimbarbwe?

Question

President Norman Arendse has announced that S.A. has suspended all domestic arrangements with Zimbarbwe after careful consideration because of the recent political election 'farce'. Do you agree with their action, & do you think Zimbarbwe will ever make it back into the international team?

Answer 1

My opinion is sports should not be clubbed with any political decision as it invloces culture, people and tradition rather than govt to govt

Answer 2

I don't think any country should maintain sporting ties with a country where people are oppressed, tortured and starved.

However, I also don't believe that countries outside of Africa should intervene in this affair. It is an African problem, and it is for African countries to deal with.

Robert Mugabe: hero or villain? Villain, you would say, due to the way he treats people in his own country (he is quite clearly insane).

But lets remember that not so very long ago, Zimbabwe was known as Rhodesia, and black people were treated at times like vermin. Mugabe himself spent 10 years in prison for opposing the ruling white government, he wasn't allowed out of prison to attend his own son's funeral, so you can understand his hatred of 'The West'

However, there is more bad than good to say about Mugabe. Right from the very start, there have been accusations of vote-rigging and intimidation. The recent events are nothing new.

Mugabe doesn't just hate white people. He belongs to the Mashona tribe, the largest in Zimbabwe, and his hatred extends toward the Matabele people also.

So, in summary, as Mugabe's recent activitiea are actually nothing new, and have been going on since he came to power in 1980, it seems a futile gesture now to cut off sporting ties with the country.

As to whether they will ever make it back as an international team, that really depends on how the country goes post-Mugabe. A lot of hope seems to be being pinned on Morgan Tsvangirai, but we do not know if he will turn out to be any better (although he could hardly be worse).

Zimbabwe was always a 'second class' Test nation, who were always going to struggle.

It is a position they may never regain, even if the political position resolves itself.

Answer 3

Well South Africa can't suspend Zimbabwe from international cricket just because they don't run international cricket and they don't have the power to do it either.

Zimbabwe's future depends on the vote of the Asian block,especially that of BCCI.

If BCCI supports them,they will surely stay.

If not,then God knows.Things are not looking good for them as ECB has expressed their concerns over Zim participating in the tournament to be held there in 2009.

Answer 4

They had vowed to support Zimbabwe with help in domestic cricket matters etc, but Mugabe & his nonsense put paid to that. You have to draw the line somewhere I guess

Answer 5

It's about time, personally I think this stand should have happened long ago and I think everyone should refuse to play the Zimbabwean team. I just hope that the stance from CSA (along with Cricket Australia and cricket NZ before them) and now the ECB (who have also cut ties with Zimbabwe and banned them from touring England next year) sends some kind of message to them. I don’t believe that this is a problem just for the people of South Africa and neighbouring countries, it's important to send a message that what is going on in Zimbabwe is beyond unacceptable.

Yes it's hard for the players and I feel sorry for them as they probably have nothing to do with Mugabe and don't have anything to do with the situation in the country. However funding, supporting and allowing the Zimbabwe team to travel and play overseas teams gives credence to a despot who sees these kinds of games as nothing more than an opportunity to spew more of his desperate vitriol and lunatic rantings.

What further concerns me is that the ICC haven't made much of a stance over this and they really need to be setting the tone here rather than leaving and letting individual countries make the decisions on this issue. They should have made a strong stance of this years ago instead of hoping the situation will get better (when it obviously isn’t and won’t).

And under the current rules of inclusion Zimbabwe will still be able to participate in next years 20/20 world cup in England as they're still a member of the ICC. They should sort this out now, but they won't. Unfortunately it'll fester even longer and they'll be a commotion over the staging of the competition.

As for whether or not Zimbabwe will regain test status, I think that’s hard to tell at the moment. I guess it all depends on what happens with Mugabe and what happens with the political climate after he has finally gone.

Answer 6

I feel pity, not on the Zimbabwe board or government, but on the people & the talents which had to be wasted there. If someone has to be blamed, then it has to be their president Robert Mugabe, I can understand if he has struggled for the freedom of black people in the past, as Oracle mentioned, but if he was truely concerned about the "welfare" of their country then he wouldn't have implemented this racism rather he should have tried to cease it after he took control. But what he did, he made it even worse. I feel for the likes of Heath Streak, Andy Flower or Olonga who almost made their nation competitive enough to challege the top teams at the international level but what they got!!! they end up getting their careers sacrificed due to this evil spread in their nation. Mismanagement & corrupt attitude of their government has already did enough damage to the economy that these "supsensions" have become a far overlooked issue.

Answer 7

The situation in Zimbabwe right now is very bad CSA had to do something although the cricket team has done nothing wrong by South Africa supporting them in a way it was saying we don't care what a terrible man Robert Mugabe is and what he is doing to make the Zim people suffer they need help cricket should be the last of their worries the only way I see Zim being able to come back is when Robert Mugabe is no longer president and they are able to be free from his dictatorship the killings and all the bad things in that country

Answer 8

A political / non-cricketing decision !