CONTROVERSIAL Zimbabwean opposition politician and Mayor of Bulawayo, the country’s second largest city, David Coltart, has admitted playing a role in the infamous Black Armband protest by prominent cricketers Andy Flower and Henry Olonga during the 2003 World Cup.
Feeling the heat from an exposé by Zimbabwe Cricket, which labeled him a hypocrite, David Coltart was compelled to defend himself in a lengthy Facebook post, where he ultimately admitted his role in the saga.
Coltart has been vocal on social media, accusing the cricket board of racism, tribalism, and nepotism, among other serious allegations.
“I do not intend to defend myself against the racist attack; my record in Zimbabwe since I returned in 1983 speaks for itself, and I am deeply heartened by the overwhelming support given by Zimbabweans across the racial and ethnic divide since the statement was issued,” Coltart wrote.
With regard to the allegation that he had been involved in “divisive interference in cricket,” Coltart clarified:
“I did not play a ‘key role in planning’ Henry Olonga and Andy Flower’s 2003 black-armband protest. The facts are that they planned the protest and only sought advice from me regarding their statement issued at the time. Both Henry Olonga’s book and numerous statements made since then by both men confirm this. If anything, my advice was that they protest in a way that would not disrupt the World Cup,” admitted Coltart.
“It is, in fact, demeaning to these two cricket legends that it even be suggested that they didn’t have minds of their own and that I played a key role in planning their protest. As for their protest being ‘infamous,’ the fact is that their brave, selfless (both of them willingly forfeited their remaining international cricket playing careers), non-partisan, and peaceful protest was widely lauded throughout the cricketing world.”
ZC further accused Coltart of masterminding the long-standing sporting rift between Zimbabwe and England, which only ended with a four-day Test at Trent Bridge recently, following concerted rebuilding efforts by the ZC board.
Coltart countered, “The Zimbabwe Cricket statement alleges that ‘thanks to pressure from Coltart, England refused to travel to Harare for their World Cup match, triggering a long-lasting diplomatic and sporting rift.’ This is a total distortion of the truth. During the World Cup, I met with the England team in Cape Town and tried to persuade them to play against Zimbabwe in Zimbabwe but failed.”
However, the details of Coltart’s meeting with the England team in Cape Town are still unclear, including in what capacity he was representing himself, whether for the Zimbabwean government, the Sports Ministry, the ICC, or the ECB. What is clear is that he was a senior figure in the opposition at the time. Coltart did not publicly share what came out of that meeting when he returned. His party, the MDC, had openly opposed Zimbabwe hosting the World Cup, even comparing it to holding matches in Afghanistan. In that light, Coltart’s actions suggest he may have held a different view or agenda, which could have gone against his party’s stance.
