[t4b-ticker]

An open letter to Ellison Hijarunguru

Home Sports An open letter to Ellison Hijarunguru

Dear Mr Hijarunguru, I’m writing to you as the designated Chairperson of the Namibia Professional Boxing and Wrestling Control Board to alert or rather remind you of responsibilities bestowed upon you as a leader.

The recent unfolding events where you revoked an earlier decision by the Boxing Control Board to summarily suspend Salute Boxing Academy, on the apparent assumption of insufficient evidence, stinks of hypocrisy and is tantamount to treason, so to speak.

As it stands, no other question so preoccupies boxing followers as to why the decision was hastily reversed as soon as you were installed to take over the reins from the board’s former chairman Kelly Nghixulifwa.

Notwithstanding the fact that you were part and parcel of the committee that endorsed Salute’s suspension under the stewardship of your trusted sheriff Nghixulifwa – only for you to resurface in the mediator role, and you still want people to take you seriously, really?

My dear learned colleague, your maneuverings amount to cowardice of the highest order, backstabbing, poor judgement, immoral, lack of principles and still worse, double standards, to say the least.

Any leader worth his salt would have handled this matter differently with the utmost care and sensitivity it requires if there was a procedural appeal filed, a process the author seriously doubts was followed.

Just simply because nobody else has raised a finger on this issue does not take away several questions that need to be addressed.
Firstly, who presided over the appeal? It can certainly not be the incumbent chairperson of the board since he was part and parcel of the committee that endorsed the earlier decision to ground Salute for misconduct.

Apart from this particular case, there are dozens of other outstanding disciplinary cases of more serious offences, for which the board is yet to announce the outcome, so what is so special about this particular case to enjoy immediate attention?

Just a quick reminder, this is not a magistrate’s court where cases are supposed to be proven beyond reasonable doubt.
And before you start accusing me of pushing personal agendas, linking me to the usual black and white thinking philosophy of “If you are not for me, then you are against me”, Ayekako my bro, my question is purely driven by my desire and grave concern in search of transparency, honesty and integrity – nothing more and nothing less!!.

For the record, yours truly is privy to sufficient evidence captured on video camera that is likely going to expose the accused parties, including those who vehemently claim not to have seen this ugly incident unfolding right under their noses.

Just because other scribes prefer to turn a blind eye to things, yours truly will not cease to pinpoint the injustices so prevalent in many a sporting discipline.

Logic suggests the new newly appointed board members should have appointed an Appeals Committee to look into the merits of the appeal and act on recommendations.

To claim that procedures were initially not correctly followed during the disciplinary hearing, whereas you presided over it, is totally unacceptable.

People should humble themselves when they err, take the blame for their blunders and not shift the goalposts whenever it suits them in a desperate effort to escape scrutiny. I rest my case.