The facts behind the Sables ‘ghost-house’ story

By Brian Matamba

HARARE – The pictures circulating on social media showing a house in Strathaven, Harare, have sparked questions about the welfare of Zimbabwe’s national rugby team, the Sables, as they prepare for their historic return to the Rugby World Cup next year in Australia.

The images have understandably raised concerns, particularly when presented as evidence of the conditions in which the national team is living.

However, there is important context missing from the conversation.

The Strathaven property referred to as the “ghost house” is not part of the official Sables camp set-up.

The property was originally an Old Hararians Sports Club rugby section arrangement used to accommodate players coming from outside Harare who did not have accommodation in the capital city.

The house was privately negotiated by the then Old Hararians rugby head coach Pieter Benade and a well-wisher. Its location, close to Old Hararians, made practical sense because it helped reduce transport costs for less-privileged players based outside Harare.

This was over three years ago.

Benade, then, had not yet been appointed Zimbabwe's national team coach. The former Prince Edward School flyhalf maestro had just returned home to his country of birth, Zimbabwe, with a burning desire to contribute to the development of talent at his old school and its traditional old-boys club, Old Hararians.

When Benade later took over as the Sables head coach early 2024, the same arrangement was extended to accommodate players from outside Harare, who he was working with or considering for the national team.

That distinction is important.

The Strathaven house is not the Sables’ official camp, or team headquarters. It has been used to provide accommodation for players being monitored by the national team technical set-up.

In fact, the name “ghost house” has a rugby connection of its own.

Brian Nyaude, nicknamed Ghost by his mates, was one of the players who originally occupied the property under the Old Hararians arrangement, hence the nickname that eventually stuck to the house.

At present, Nyaude is understood to be the only player from those currently associated with the house who has been part of the Sables set-up, having last played for Zimbabwe last April against Zambia.

Last year in Uganda, Nyaude didn’t feature in any of the three games in Zimbabwe’s successful qualification campaign for the 2027 World Cup.

But that does not mean the conditions shown in the photographs should be ignored. If there are genuine welfare concerns, they deserve to be addressed.

But there is a difference between questioning the condition of a privately arranged player accommodation facility and presenting it as the official living quarters of the entire Sables squad.

Club or private arrangements, and national duty, are two different things

There is another important point that needs to be understood when discussing the players who live at the Strathaven property.

Players can have private accommodation arrangements while playing their club rugby and then move into the national team environment when they are called up for Sables duty.

The national union’s responsibility is centred on the player when he or she is performing national duty. It does not automatically extend to taking responsibility for the player’s private living arrangements throughout the year when they are playing club rugby and are away from national camping.

That distinction is not unique to Zimbabwe.

Our neighbours in South Africa provide a useful comparison.

South Africa has arguably the strongest rugby system in the world at present. The Springboks are the defending world champions, ranked No. 1 in the world, and have won the Rugby World Cup a record four times.

When players report for Springbok duty, SA Rugby takes responsibility for the national team environment, including accommodation, training, nutrition, medical support and the other requirements associated with national duty.

South Africa also has a sophisticated player contracting system. A number of key players are centrally contracted with SA Rugby, while others are contracted through provincial unions and clubs. The South African Rugby Industry Collective Agreement itself provides for different categories of player contracts, including national, provincial, semi-professional and club player arrangements.

When Springbok players return to their clubs or provinces, however, their accommodation and day-to-day living arrangements are part of that domestic rugby environment, and of course their personal arrangements.

The same principle applies when drawing a parallel with the Strathaven property.

Players staying there as club players or under private arrangements are not automatically living in a Sables camp. When they are selected for the Sables and report for national duty, the national team has a separate responsibility to provide an appropriate environment for them.

That is precisely why the distinction between club accommodation and national-team accommodation matters.

The Sables are not currently in camp.

There is another important factual issue with the narrative currently circulating.

The author of the original post claims that the Sables are in camp and are living in this house as they prepare for the 2027 Rugby World Cup.

That is factually incorrect.

The 2027 Rugby World Cup is still about 13 months away. It would be highly unusual for an international rugby team to be in a continuous national team camp this far out from a World Cup.

The Sables were last officially in camp in July during their North America tour for the Nations Cup.

Their next official camp is expected in November for the end-of-year Nations Cup programme, when Zimbabwe will play two matches in England and another in France.

So the suggestion that the Sables are currently in camp in Zimbabwe and are living in the Strathaven property as part of their World Cup preparations does not accurately reflect the national team’s current programme.

This matters because the photographs are being presented to the public as though they show the current living conditions of the Sables squad in camp.

They do not.

Where do the Sables actually stay in camp?

For the past three years, when the Sables have been in camp in Zimbabwe, the team has been accommodated at a very luxurious suburban property on Piers Road in Borrowdale, Harare.

The national team set-up has also included a personal chef to cater for the players’ nutritional requirements during camp.

This is consistent with the wider investment that has gone into the Sables in recent years. The Sables Trust has played a significant role in supporting the national team, with its mandate including mobilising financial and practical resources to support the Sables and their preparation.

The progress of the team under Benade has also been publicly documented. Zimbabwe won back-to-back Africa Cup titles and secured qualification for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, while players have publicly credited the Sables Trust and the coaching set-up for creating an improved environment around the team.

What about the wild speculation of a US$15 000 bonus?

Another claim circulating alongside the photographs is that each player is still owed a US$15 000 World Cup qualification bonus.

That claim needs to be treated carefully.

The current Interim Management Committee (IMC) chairman, Paddy Zhanda Jnr, has stated publicly that there are no outstanding bonuses owed to the squad that qualified Zimbabwe for the 2027 Rugby World Cup.

Zhanda has also addressed the issue recently on Zimpapers’ rugby podcast, The Scrum.

That directly contradicts the suggestion that the players are sitting on an unpaid US$15 000 qualification bonus.

The source of the narrative also needs context.

The social media posts carrying these photographs attribute their claims to people who are no longer in the positions referenced in the posts.

The posts themselves have also been circulating as though they represent the current position of the ZRU, despite the fact that the previous leadership structure referenced in them has since changed.

The ZRU is currently operating under an Interim Management Committee (IMC) headed by Paddy Zhanda Jnr.

That does not mean every concern raised by the original posts should be dismissed. It does, however, mean that the age, source and current relevance of the information should be considered before presenting it as an accurate picture of the Sables today.

A social media post can raise a legitimate question without necessarily providing the complete answer.

Accountability matters. So does accuracy.

There can be legitimate conversations about player welfare, accommodation standards, funding and accountability. Those conversations should happen.

If players living in the Strathaven property have genuine welfare concerns, those concerns deserve to be investigated and addressed.

But the public also deserves to know what the property actually is.

It is not the official Sables camp.

It is not where the entire Sables squad is currently living.

The Sables are not currently in camp in Zimbabwe.

The national team has had a separate camp accommodation arrangement in Borrowdale.

Players who live in private or club accommodation outside national duty cannot automatically have those living arrangements attributed to the national team.

And the claim of an outstanding US$15 000 qualification bonus has been disputed by the current rugby administration.

The Sables’ return to the Rugby World Cup after 34 years is a significant achievement for Zimbabwean rugby. Holding those responsible for the team’s welfare accountable is important.

So is asking the right questions, checking who is making the claims, establishing when the information was gathered, and distinguishing between club life and national-team duty.

The photographs tell one part of the story.

They do not tell the whole story.

*Matamba is a sports journalist and Zimbabwean rugby expert who writes here in his own capacity.