Three years after her controversial appointment as Zimbabwe Rugby Union vice-president and later on chief executive, Colleen “VaChihera” de Jong’s journey as a rugby administrator has come to an end.

Unfortunately, this is an end the rugby family would celebrate.

The 53-year-old’s tenure as the ZRU official was marred by controversy, maladministration, she was sucked into racial storms and was always viewed as someone who did not have the interest of the Sables at heart.

De Jong – who resigned against her own will – came onto the ZRU board through an unconstitutional process after she was hand-picked by the then president John Falkenberg at the 2013 annual meeting following the resignation of Aisha Tsimba who had moved to the Sports Commission.

This sparked a lot of outrage from the rugby community and from then on it was a bumpy ride for the “Iron Lady” of Zimbabwe rugby.

In March 2015, her appointment caught the eye of the Government and sucked in then Minister of Sport Andrew Langa, who was misled (by both the sports commission and the ZRU) and went on to give false testimony in Parliament about de Jong’s appointment before The Heraldexposed Langa’s testament.

It was after this that she went on to resign as a vice president, but fought on and Falkenberg made sure she remained within the system as the chief executive – a move that went on to be Falkenberg’s biggest regret as ZRU president.

At some point she almost withdrew the Sables from camp as they prepared for the Africa Cup tournament last year, and at some point was involved in a racial storm that included former director of rugby Liam Middleton with former Sables manager Losson Mtongwiza exposing the system.

However, it was the maladministration at the Under-20 World Trophy recently that proved the final nail on de Jong’s coffin.

She approved a security deal where Falkenbergs’ J&P Security would provide safekeeping initially with a budget of US$ 5 000 but at the moment the ZRU owes the private institution up to US$ 31 000 for the services.

Honorary reasurer Joseph Kunyetu has since recused himself to allow “proper investigations” into the matter.

Of the US$ 54 563,58 financial deficit the ZRU incurred after the tournament, US$31 143 was owed to Falkenberg with US$ 4 580 having been paid. All the national flags for the teams that featured in the youth tournament were printed in Zimbabwe.

De Jong probably had the passion for the game – especially when she was with the Under-20 – but passion is only an excuse for the unqualified. Her management skills – or lack of – showed poor results and she probably regrets dropping out in the first semester of the Asmic Sports Administration Diploma in 2012.

But the 'Iron Lady' has finaly been smelted.