The Sunday Mail
THE Harare Basketball League season is still in its infancy but there has been enough drama to last a life time.
HBA president Ngoni Mukukula finds himself facing calls to step down amid allegations that he assaulted a female basketball player during the Cheetahs pre-season tournament in Harare a fortnight ago.
Mukukula, who is also the Raiders coach, has since been suspended from all basketball activities as investigations into allegations that he assaulted Margaret Kanyimo with the help of his sister-in law Francesca Sekete and daughter Fiona during a heated final between Raiders and Vixens continue.
Kanyimo, a long time Raiders player, crossed the floor to Vixens this season and her move appears not to have gone down well with her former side as she was a subject of some vicious challenges during the ill-tempered tie.
The Vixens technical team withdrew her in the third quarter before thrusting her back into the game with a few seconds remaining in the last quarter.
However, those few seconds, with Vixens leading by a massive 15 points, were enough to trigger a brawl between Sekete and Fiona.
Mukukula and Sekete are said to have joined in the melee as tempers flared.
The brawl brought to a chaotic ending an intriguing tourney that saw clubs showcasing some top level basketball.
During the attack, Mukukula and his team are said to have accused Kanyimo of being ungrateful and demanded that she hands over a pair of sneakers they bought for her during her stint with Raiders.
The HBA disciplinary committee last week suspended Mukukula from all basketball activities pending determination of the case but already there are allegations that the association is being soft with the veteran administrator.
A statement released by HBA reads: “In the case against the HBA president of inciting violence through action and speech, using aggressive harmful behaviour against player, the judiciary has set aside its judgement until the president has returned from his one and half months trip abroad, which could not be cancelled or postponed.
“The judiciary hereby suspends the HBA president Mr Ngoni Mukukula from all HBA business until case HBA201401H has been concluded and or pending the outcome.”
While welcoming the suspension of Mukukula, an official with an HBA club argued that the statement coming through from a panel whose providing officer was Tinotenda Mashapaidze, a close ally of Mukukula, does not “show the severity of the case.”
“Mukukula assaulted a player, there are witnesses to prove it but the statement released last week talks of actions and not assault.
“The HBA, which is clamouring for sponsorship, should be seen to be professional in the manner it handles such matters.
“It does not matter that one is the HBA president, they should face the full wrath of the law and this habit of applying makeup on a frog should cease forthwith,” he said.
However, a Raiders official hailed the move to suspend Mukukula noting that a final determination cannot be made until the club’s owner has been given a chance to defend himself.
