NUNES STUN BERGER, HERMAN IN SWIMMING ELECTIONS

EZULWINI – Splash Swimming Club’s Pedro Nunes is the new president of the Eswatini Swimming Association (ESA).

Nunes won this seat during the dramatic ESA elections following the elective Annual General Assembly (AGM) held at Sibane Sami Hotel yesterday. He secured 13 out of 24 votes, outclassing two former presidents who were favourites for this hot seat. The runner-up was Pelicans Swimming Club’s Berger Nxumalo, who garnered seven votes. Nxumalo had served the association for six years before resigning in 2020 due to a conflict of interest.

This was after being appointed to serve on the former Eswatini Sport and Recreation Council (ESRC) board. Meanwhile, former president Herman Jele managed to collect five votes. Jele stepped down from his position last year and was replaced by Welcome Nhlabatsi. Nhlabatsi had a short stint as acting president before being suspended by the executive on grounds of misconduct. Mark Hoare then took over and handed the baton to Nunes yesterday.

However, leading up to the ballot, there was an intense moment with SwimLab, expressing dissatisfaction, alleging some irregularities leading to the elections. The team did not understand how Gaetan Ning was removed from the president position, as he was listed among the nominees circulated on September 21. Meanwhile, the Electoral Officer (EO) Mlondzi Nsibandze stated at the start of the election process that there were two defective nominations. These were SwimLab’s Leslee and Ning, who were nominated with undefined positions, contrary to the ESA Constitution.

To note, the new president promised to tackle issues of transparency and accountability, as highlighted by the auditors. He further pledged to address some of the issues raised on the day, such as constitutional amendments, pending 2022/23 financial reports, and the adoption of previous reports within three months. Notable is that the 2023/24 financials were deferred for a discussion on another day, after they were presented. Grant Thornton Auditors said there were no issues with them.

Meanwhile, former Vice President Doreen Mdluli retained her position, while Meluleki ‘Sluga’ Simelane, former Treasurer Bongiwe Dlamini, Mark Hoare, and Secretary General (SG), Nozipho Mahlalela retained their positions on the Executive board as additional members. The sixth member is Dumile Magongo. From these members, the executive is expected to meet and appoint the SG and Treasurer.

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