Government will not make Zimbabwe tour illegal

Former Zimbabwe cricketer Henry Olonga, right, met Foreign Affairs Minister Phil Goff at Parliament today. Picture / Fotopress

The Government has said it will not legislate to make the Black Caps cricket tour of Zimbabwe illegal.

This morning, the International Cricket Council said New Zealand Cricket would face large financial penalties unless the Government acted to outlaw the tour.

However, the Government - which yesterday indicated it would issue a directive if that was enough to have the tour cancelled - has decided against making the tour illegal and it will go ahead.

More than 300,000 people are reported homeless after President Robert Mugabe's regime bulldozed shantytowns - the latest in a series of human rights abuses in the country.

Foreign Minister Phil Goff met former Zimbabwe international Henry Olonga, the first black cricketer to play for the country and an opponent of the tour, today.

Afterwards, Mr Goff said he was concerned the tour could be exploited by Mugabe. "If the tour does proceed it is obviously important to have a plan B and we've been discussing this with Henry," he said.

Suggestions such as cricketers avoiding tourist spots and instead visiting the site of bulldozed homes were discussed.

Other ideas included players wearing black armbands and avoiding any meeting with Mugabe.

Olonga, who wore a black armband in a 2003 World Cup match to mourn the death of democracy in his homeland, said: "We must remember cricket has a unique spirit and it's just not cricket for a cruel dictator and tyrant and for the world to stand by and do nothing.

"I personally believe it shouldn't go ahead simply because what is happening to people in Zimbabwe is just terrible.

"This is a government that has consistently abused its own people."