THE Namibia Rugby Union had its request for funding of the Welwitschias’ participation in next year’s Vodacom Cup rejected by MTC on Monday.
MTC last month temporarily suspended all its sponsorships of the NRU and said the sport body had not met the conditions for lifting the embargo. According to Ekandjo, MTC’s corporate affairs officer, meeting the said objectives would not only guarantee support but also restore MTC’s faith in the NRU.’I would therefore like to make it categorically clear that we will not retract on this decision unless our conditions, which we communicated to you in no uncertain terms, are met. We communicated that we will only reconsider if a new leadership is in place that has a vision for rugby that we as sponsors would like to meet and discuss the state and future of rugby and the NRU,’ said Ekandjo.NRU interim committee head Danie Strauss said he was not surprised by MTC’s stance, given the union’s poor administrative track record. ‘No sponsor will invest in rugby unless we can prove that we have the ability to be accountable for every cent invested,’ Strauss told The Namibian Sport. Strauss is adamant that the interim committee would get the Welwitschias to compete in the Vodacom Cup by hook or by crook.’It is important for Namibia to participate in the Vodacom tournament and we will do our utmost best to enable the Namibian rugby team to participate.’We are confident that we will be able to do so. The challenge is huge, but we have no choice but to stay positive and tackle issues that have been responsible for discrediting Namibian rugby as a matter of urgency.’The NRU has time and again been inundated with controversy over its lack of credible management, which has left its finances in tatters and caused divisions within the rugby fraternity. Last year the International Rugby Board investigated the NRU for various allegations of maladministration and mismanagement of finances that led to then CEO Sackey Mouton being suspended.Ekandjo said that the NRU had burnt its bridges with the telecommunications operator following the shock resignation of the entire NRU executive a few months after MTC had bailed them out N$1,6 million ahead of the Rugby World Cup. ‘Until such time that all our conditions are met and that we are assured that we can trust the NRU with our funds again, the funds remain withdrawn and the longer the NRU takes to address our concerns the worse it will become,’ Ekandjo said.’Please take note that permanently withdrawing the sponsorship is a possibility we will consider should the status quo remain. ‘It is therefore the NRU’s responsibility to restore the trust relationship by meeting these conditions.’ Furthermore Ekandjo said: ‘We made these conditions to the NRU in the best long-term interest of rugby even if it means that the NRU and rugby need to take a few steps back in the interest of sorting out your administration. Your latest request for funds to participate in the Vodacom Cup while not having bothered to meet any of our conditions is rather disappointing and can only demonstrate that you have not taken us serious at all. We will not participate in rugby on a piecemeal basis.’Strauss said, the organisation was striving for impunity from its tainted past. ‘We have already started with an audit of the financials for the last financial year and are working on restructuring proposals that will be tabled at the next AGM. I hope that we will be able to accomplish these objectives soon.’
