PROMINENT Bulawayo businessman Delma Lupepe is the new Matabeleland Tuskers franchise cricket management committee chairman.
Lupepe, who will be in office for three years, is the leader of a six-member committee that will oversee the running of the franchise.
The AmaZulu boss was nominated by both Bulawayo Metropolitan Cricket Association and Matabeleland North Cricket Association. Other members of the committee are the Hwange Colliery human resources manager Fathi Mpofu, BancAfrica (formerly ABC) regional manager for Bulawayo Thandiwe Mhlanga who is tipped for the yet to be filled post of franchise vice-chairperson and city engineer Peter Edmeads.
Bulawayo Metropolitan chairman Sam Ndlovu and his Matabeleland North counterpart Donald Khumalo also sit on the committee. Franchise chief executive officer Stanley Staddon is an ex-officio member of the committee.
The committee meets today at Queens Sports Club to deliberate on the franchise name, the appointment of the coach and also elect various sub-committees. In an exclusive interview with Sunday Sport on Friday, Lupepe said he was surprised at his election but said he had already gotten down to work.
“The game of cricket is growing in the country and we hope as a franchise we can produce players who can help our country get back into Test cricket,” said Lupepe. He is the owner of AmaZulu and in squash is the sponsor of the Zimbabwe Squash Open through his company Merlin. Lupepe said he follows cricket a lot especially at international level and played the sport during his schooldays at Marist Brothers in Kwekwe.
The business tycoon said he is convinced that his fellow committee members are people who can deliver.
“I am as good as my team, it is not all about me. The level of commitment I have seen in the other committee members is tremendous, they are the best to move the game forward. All we are asking for from the stakeholders out there to give us time.
“We are going to look at all the contracts, we understand some were signed before the committee was put in place. This is no longer an individual responsibility, we are also planning to meet all the players as a committee to understand their concerns,” Lupepe said.