Latest news with #Coltart
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘We are a passionately multiracial team': Zimbabwe return to England transformed
Twenty-two years is a long time, even in a sport that measures its games in days and its history in centuries. The last time England played a Test match against Zimbabwe, in 2003, Rob Key was in the middle order instead of the managing director's job, Jimmy Anderson was a 20-year-old tearaway playing in his very first series, and the England and Wales Cricket Board was just about to launch the world's very first professional Twenty20 tournament. Zimbabwean cricket has changed, too. Back then the team was in the earliest stages of a transformation that was meant to turn cricket from a minority game, played by the small white population, into a sport that better represented the whole country. They have been hard years, riven by player strikes, political interference, maladministration, and a miserable drop-off in results. The team temporarily withdrew from Test cricket, suspended their domestic competition, and were repeatedly censured by the International Cricket Council. They lost so many players through emigration to England, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, that even now you could build a hell of a good Zimbabwean squad out of people who are making a living overseas. And yet, at the end of it all, the process was, by one important measure, a success. The squad that came on tour in 2003 was majority white, the team that has come this year is majority black. Advertisement Related: Blast from the past: Zimbabwe are finally coming in from the cold 'Despite all the politics, despite all the chaos that we've been through, cricket is now a national game,' says David Coltart, 'supported by an overwhelming majority of Zimbabweans, black and white and other races.' Coltart is the elected mayor of Bulawayo, a white man elected in a mostly black city. He has spent his life navigating the bitter, heated, complicated politics of his country. He has been fighting for the Zimbabwe he believes in ever since the 1990s, first as a founding member of the Movement for Democratic Change and a key figure in the opposition to Robert Mugabe, then as minister for education and sport in Morgan Tsvangirai's coalition government. More than five million people have emigrated from the country in that time. Coltart is one of the ones who stayed. 'I believe in Zimbabwe with a passion,' he says, 'I believe in its people and its future, and I believe it is a country worth fighting for.' When Andy Flower and Henry Olonga made their public protest against 'the death of democracy' in their country in 2003, it was Coltart they asked to help draft their statement. 'My sadness is that Henry and Andy didn't stay in the country,' he says, 'because they remain hugely influential figures. It's not a criticism. I understand why they felt compelled to leave. But we need figures like them.' He mourns Heath Streak, who did stay, but who died in 2023. 'Heath provided inspiration to people on both sides of the argument. He was a white man who was fluent in Ndebele, and who attracted a lot of sympathy and affection from a lot of black people, and yet he remained an inspirational people for white farmers who'd been dispossessed of their land.' Advertisement For Coltart, the Zimbabwean team is emblematic of the society it represents. 'We punch above our weight.' Which is why he believes transformation had to happen. 'It was very necessary,' Coltart says. 'Cricket in Zimbabwe 30 years ago was a minority sport. If you just looked at the crowds they were, relatively speaking, very few black people in them. Even aside from the principle of the matter, that situation was completely unsustainable.' He just wishes it had been done differently. He makes a comparison with the redistribution of land, and the violent farm takeovers which were the cause of so much pain, grief and injustice in the 2000s. 'The land holdings were unjust,' he says, 'But we could have done it without violence. Now, there wasn't violence in cricket, but I think that when you look at the dreadful collapse of cricket in 2004, that could have been avoided.' When Zimbabwe stopped playing Test cricket, Coltart helped lead the campaign to restore it. In government he spent a lot of time lobbying the English to start playing fixtures against his country again. The ECB turned its back on the country, even after the end of the Mugabe regime. It was only when Richard Gould took over as the chief executive of the ECB that things finally changed. 'They disregarded us, and while I understand the reasons, I've never felt that England should not be playing Zimbabwe,' Coltart says. 'Although I'm a strident critic of the Zimbabwean regime, I've always believed in the power of sport to bridge divides.' Even now, he would be against a boycott of Afghan cricket on similar grounds. 'Because if the players and the board members themselves are trying to do the right thing but are being constrained by the government, then you've got to support them and encourage them, not boycott them. Use the game, the opportunities it provides, to build relations, and to hold them to higher standards.' Advertisement He is still trying to do that in his own country now, as mayor. Bulawayo has just won the right to host the Street Child Cricket World Cup. But Coltart is deeply concerned about the way the sport is being run. 'There's still far too much politics involved in Zimbabwe Cricket, in the running of the organisation, and even in the selection policies. I still fear that we're not spending the money that we get as best we should. I'm a politician, but I don't think politicians should be anywhere near cricket administration. I would rather see people whose primary attribute is a great passion for cricket being involved in the running of the sport. I'd like to see our best players from the past dominating the selection panel, black and white.' Still, he beams when he thinks that Zimbabwe are going to play a Test at Trent Bridge this week. 'Despite the politics, despite the abuse of the rule of law and corruption in the country, all the concerns that I have regarding the government, the vast majority of Zimbabweans are united. It's a wonderful country and you will see that in our cricket, we are a passionately multiracial team, and that's a wonderful projection of our country.'
05-05-2025
- Politics
Is Bulelani Khumalo's crown dividing Zimbabwe or uniting a forgotten nation?
South African-born Bulelani Lobengula Khumalo's recent visit to Bulawayo in Zimbabwe was seen by many as a cultural homecoming. However, not everyone shared the sentiment. Some Zimbabwean government officials lashed out after the city's mayor, David Coltart, recognised him as king of the Ndebele people. The 41-year-old Bulelani Khumalo was born in Port Elizabeth (now Gqeberha) in South Africa. In September 2018, traditional leaders in Matabeleland and the Khumalo family crowned him as the new King of the Northern Ndebele nation. The Zimbabwe local government minister, Daniel Garwe, expressed his disapproval of the Ndebele Kingdom. He wrote a letter to Coltart stating that the country's constitution does not recognise a Ndebele Kingdom. Garwe clarified that the constitution recognises only chiefs, headmen, and village heads. 'As you may be aware, the government of Zimbabwe has over the years incessantly denounced and dissociated itself from a self-proclaimed 'King' Bulelani who illegally claims to be the legitimate heir to the now defunct throne of King Lobengula,' reads the letter. 'The ministry would like to advise you, as the mayor of the City of Bulawayo and any other functionary of the City of Bulawayo, to desist from entertaining this charlatan self-styled 'King' Bulelani, as such behaviour is not only criminal but has the negative effect of misleading the general public.' The controversy also saw Zanu PF spokesperson Christopher Mutsvangwa critising the Bulawayo mayor for meeting Khumalo. He stated that Coltart is part of 'a plot to create a separate Matabeleland state.' 'His Excellency President Dr ED Mnangagwa is committed to providing working capital for the people of Zimbabwe,' Mutsvangwa stated. 'But the mayor is too busy playing politics to notice the industrial revival already underway.' Civil society group Ibhetshu LikaZulu has clarified that Khumalo's presence has nothing to do with politics. The Ibhetshu likaZulu secretary general, Mbuso Fuzwayo, said Khumalo's presence is rather a cultural and historical matter. 'Mr Mutsvangwa's statement that this meeting is part of a plot to create a separate Matabeleland state is not only malicious, but also a dangerous distortion of both historical truth and present reality,' he said. The Office of King Bulelani Lobengula Mzilikazi, which is based in South Africa, has issued a public statement in response to Khumalo's visit. 'We respectfully urge public officials to exercise caution, decorum, and cultural sensitivity when speaking on matters of heritage and traditional leadership,' reads part of the press release. 'Dismissive language or threats of arrest directed at a traditional and cultural figure, whose mission is reconciliation, unity, and empowerment, does not reflect the spirit of Ubuntu or the values enshrined in Pan-Africanism.' Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
BBC News
23-02-2025
- Automotive
- BBC News
Peak District: 'I learned the hard way about parking near beauty spot'
A woman who drove to the Peak District for a hike - only to return to her car to find it damaged and with a parking ticket - is warning others to learn from her Coltart, 28, was visiting Mam Tor on 18 January to catch a glimpse of the sunrise, after seeing videos of the beauty spot on social completing a circular route, the marketing manager discovered the fine, along with the damaged car that had been parked in a no stopping zone."Following other cars on the day was probably my biggest regret and I'll never do that again," she added. Roads in the national park have recently been blighted by parking issues, including on 11 January when "around 200 cars" prevented gritting from taking Friday, calls were made to bring together MPs, councils and emergency services in order to tackle the from Milton Keynes, said she initially did not notice any clear signage when trying to find a space. "I don't think there is enough guidance on where to park but... we've all passed our test and we should know the signs," she believes her car was damaged by a large vehicle trying to pass."They must have hit me from the front because the wheel was actually protruding. I got a quote for repairs and it was £2,000," she filmed the moment she found her damaged vehicle and posted the video to her TikTok channel. "I was looking for a space from 07:30 - just going back and forth doing U-turns - and then parked where all the other cars were at 07:53 and then I got back at 12:30," she said."You couldn't park anywhere. Every car was up the side of the road. There were cars everywhere. It was awful to be honest."According to the Highway Code, a clearway sign means no she admitted accidentally parking next to such a sign, Chelsea believes there is not enough parking provision at the beauty spot and accepts the "frustration" locals must feel."I think if places are becoming more popular, which, again is a Catch-22, they need more infrastructure in place such as car parks or more signage," she said."You don't want to build car parks and damage the natural environment, so it is such a hard balance." Since Chelsea's £70 fine and original TikTok video - which has been viewed more than 2.4 million times and attracted more than 1,500 comments - she started to point people in the direction of nearby free parking in the national posts prompted a response from Derbyshire Police's TikTok account, which asked Chelsea to report the incident and said the points she raised were "brilliant".Chelsea reported the incident to police, which later said it could not investigate without further some of the negative comments she received on the social media platform, Chelsea said: "I know emergency vehicles were able to get through, it's just bad parking."You go to a new place and get stick because it's your first time but you've got to start somewhere with everything."Everyone has their own struggles in life, you don't know what someone's going through."Social media, either way, you're always going to get hate. I do marketing for a living, I know what it's like. You've just got to do damage control." A spokesperson for the Peak District National Park Authority said: "Dangerous or disruptive parking can affect not only those going about their business in the local area, but also restrict emergency services access or highways maintenance."Over 80 car parking locations comprising thousands of spaces are listed on the national park authority website including sat-nav postcodes and other navigation information such as What3Words."A spokesperson for Derbyshire County Council added: "We continue to have our parking wardens out in those very popular areas which can experience parking issues, such as Mam Tor, seven days a week."Blocking roads causes issues for the emergency services, buses, bin lorries, gritting lorries and mountain rescue and we would appeal, yet again, for people to park considerately and in accordance with the highway code."Derbyshire Police said it was continuing to work with local councils and partners to devise a long-term solution to the ongoing parking issues in the area.A spokesperson said: "Most people do manage to park safely, but we have seen dangerous and irresponsible parking from some people in recent weeks, bringing roads to a standstill and hindering emergency services."If the parking spaces are full, parking your car dangerously is not an option."Reflecting on her experience, Chelsea said she would do "a lot more research and be more considerate of the people that are living in the area"."You know, if you don't plan, you plan to fail," she added.
