Zimbabwe’s Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) star Themba Gorimbo says sport is dying in Zimbabwe because Kirsty Coventry, the Sports, Arts and Recreation Minister, is out of her depth.

In a post on his X page on Tuesday, 13 February, Gorimbo described the former Olympic gold medalist as “the wort Sports Minister”. He wrote:

I stand by my country and love every single development happening in my country. The roads are beautiful, things are changing but only one thing.

Sports is dying because we have the worst sports minister who let her family run the department and her husband run her meetings.

An X user, Zanda Toto suggested that Kirsty may have struggled because the Government underfunds sport. He wrote:

Most sports are not doing very well because government budget allocation to the Ministry is less than 0.03% of the national budget, parents/families are financially constrained and corporates have been tight-fisted for a while as the economy struggles.

Former ZANU PF Member of Parliament Dexter Nduna (Chegutu West) said:

I believe you can find a way to sit down now and air your grievances and proposals for the betterment of sports in your motherland. The minister has a Permsec a deputy minister and a whole sports ministry find time in your little sabbatical to visit them and help right the wrongs if any. Your contribution to the national and world sports development is invaluable.

In another post, Gorimbo slammed the Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC), saying it has refused to allow him to have the Zimbabwean flag on his kit. He wrote:

The only way I can have the Zimbabwe flag currently is this way. Every other athlete in UFC has their country flag on their fight gear except me because (I DON’T KNOW). The so-called Zim MMA board & SRC want me to bow down to get my flag on my kit.

Coventry has faced lots of criticism since she was appointed Sports Minister in 2018 by President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

Under her watch, Zimbabwe has endured some difficult periods including the banning of the country’s stadiums by CAF as well as the suspension of national football teams and clubs from international football competitions.

Surprisingly, Mnangagwa retained Coventry in his cabinet after the 2023 general elections.

Mnangagwa defended the move, saying that he as the appointing authority was the one to decide on the fitness for office.

More: Pindula News