Chaneta Secretary General resigns

Dar es Salaam. Tanzania Netball Amateur Association (Chaneta) Secretary General Rose Mkisi has resigned.

Mkisi tendered her resignation letter yesterday to the body’s executive committee, citing the challenges of the preparations of the U-21 national netball team for the African Championship in South Africa and for the interest in the game’s development.

Mkisi's decision comes shortly after being accused of violating the rules and regulations governing sports associations in the country.

However, she was alleged to have criticized the government, through the media, for not supporting the sport and instead investing in football, which is contrary to the rules and regulations.

Her move prompted Culture, Arts, and Sports minister Damas Ndumbaro to direct the National Sports Council (NSC) to summon Mkisi to the ethics committee to give evidence of her allegations.

Minister Ndumbaro also ordered the suspension of all payments and air tickets directed to support the U-21 national team until further notice.

"I direct the NSC to summon Mkisi to the Ethics Committee so she can give evidence of the allegations she made against the government when she was interviewed by a media outlet.

“Suspend all payments, especially for tickets to South Africa. Additionally, in the upcoming meeting that I will convene soon to meet sports associations and federations, they (Chaneta) should not participate until this issue is resolved," said Ndumbaro.

Regarding her resignation, Mkisi said there were no reasons to argue with the Minister on the matter, despite not having been given a chance to state what actually happened.

"The sound clip that was going viral did not capture the full context of what I was saying, leading to a distortion of the information. As the executive leader of Chaneta, I have decided to be accountable by resigning from my post," said Mkisi on the phone.

Chaneta’s chairperson, Devotha Marwa, confirmed that she is aware of Mkisi’s decision, although the letter was submitted to the body’s assistant secretary-general.

"We will issue an official statement on the matter as we have already resolved what happened," said Marwa on the phone.