Online Reporter
Eddie Chikamhi-Zimpapers Sports Hub
HARARE’S unique conviviality is expected to provide the perfect ambience as regional football body COSAFA head for a leadership renewal tomorrow with the staging of their elective Annual General Assembly that has will also be graced by guests from CAF and FIFA.
The Congress will bring under one roof delegates from Member Associations from across Southern Africa for an important gathering that will shape the leadership and strategic direction of the regional football body.
Representatives from the 14-member COSAFA associations will be joined by invited guests who include big names in African football headlined by CAF president Patrice Motsepe, the continental body’s acting General Secretary Samson Adamu, and their Member Associations Director Sarah Mukuna.
Officials from FIFA who include Gelson Fernandes, Solomon Mudege, David Fani and other regional football bodies have also been invited to Harare to witness the proceedings.
It is the first time the COSAFA elective Congress is being staged in Zimbabwe, a testimony to the confidence that the regional bloc has also placed in the new ZIFA leadership.
Interestingly ZIFA president Nqobile Magwizi is one of the candidates favoured to secure a slot among the four positions for the executive committee member, which are up for grabs.
Although is it a COSAFA assembly, a closer look at the guest list for which Sport, Recreation Arts and Culture Minister Anselem Sanyatwe is also expected to witness, reads more like a mini-CAF Congress due to its size and significance.
Ex-ZIFA boss and COSAFA honorary president Philip Chiyangwa is also expected to be part of the congregation.
Although foreign delegates started trooping in on Tuesday, the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport became a hive of activity yesterday as more arrivals including that of COSAFA Honorary Secretary-General Ashford Mamelodi and association presidents flew in.
Those who are already in the capital toured the ZIFA headquarters in Harare and expressed satisfaction with the professional manner with which the association is now conducting business.
The key highlight of the indaba will be the elections to usher in a new leadership for the 14-member regional bloc.
COSAFA Executive Director Sue Destombes said the regional body is ready to deliver a well-organised and credible Congress in Harare.
“COSAFA is fully prepared for the Elective Annual General Assembly in Harare, and we are grateful for the cooperation and support received from ZIFA and all key stakeholders,” said Destombes.
“This is an important moment for our region, and our focus is to ensure that the Congress is conducted professionally, transparently and in full accordance with the COSAFA statutes and electoral processes.”
According to COSAFA, the meeting will also be elective, with the voting process to be conducted by secret ballot under the supervision of the COSAFA Electoral Committee and in line with the COSAFA Electoral Code.
Botswana’s Tariq Babitseng is set to become the youngest president of the body after he was nominated unopposed for the top post.
He will succeed Angola’s Artur de Almeida e Silva who is stepping down, as per the rules, after losing the presidency of the Angolan Football Federation.
Madagascar’s Alfred Randriamanampisoa was also nominated unopposed for the vice presidency and Brenda Kunda from Zambia will retain the Executive Committee seat reserved for women.
Of key note for the host nation is that Magwizi is one of five candidates, contesting for the four seats in the executive committee.
Magwizi, who has charmed most of his counterparts in the region, faces competition from SAFA vice president Linda Zwane, Lijane Nthunya of Lesotho, Robert Shimooshili from Namibia and Peter Simelane of Eswatini.
The final candidate list was approved following eligibility and integrity checks conducted by the COSAFA Governance and Compliance Committee.
And, for Zimbabwe, the hosting of the important gathering comes as a strong endorsement of the country’s renewed place within the regional football community.
The ZIFA leadership of Magwizi has managed to turn around perceptions and to reconfigure the game as ZIFA recovered from the infamous FIFA suspension of 2022-2023.
The hosting of the Congress reflects Zimbabwe’s growing involvement in regional football matters, following a period of institutional renewal and re-engagement.
Notably, the regional football indaba comes just months after ZIFA successfully staged the COSAFA Boys Under-17 tournament, the CAF Girls Under-17 GIFT Cup and the CAF African Schools Football Championship finals.
“For ZIFA, the event represents more than a formal administrative gathering,” the association said in a statement yesterday.
“It is a moment that aligns with the association’s broader journey of reform, professionalisation and renewed engagement with football structures at regional, continental and global level.
“As delegates converge in Harare on Sunday, Zimbabwe will once again be in the regional football spotlight, not only as host, but as an active stakeholder in shaping the future of the Southern African game.”
The significance of the occasion will be further underlined by the presence of CAF president Motsepe, who is on a second trip to Zimbabwe in a month, having also attended the CAF African Schools Football Championship Continental Finals hosted in the country in April.
Magwizi said hosting the Congress, especially at a time when the country continues to welcome major football leaders and events, represents a proud moment for the country.
“It is a great honour for Zimbabwe to host the COSAFA Elective Congress in Harare. This is not only a significant regional football event, but also a moment of pride for our country,” said Magwizi.
“The presence of CAF president Dr Patrice Motsepe further demonstrates the importance of this occasion and the confidence being shown in Zimbabwe as a football nation.
“As ZIFA, we see this Congress as part of the broader journey to restore Zimbabwe football’s standing within the region and beyond,” he said.
“Football development cannot happen in isolation. It requires cooperation, shared learning and strong regional partnerships. Hosting this Congress gives us an opportunity to reaffirm Zimbabwe’s commitment to working with our neighbours for the growth of the game across Southern Africa.”
