Assembly elections in doubt

ELECTIONS to bring in a new Zifa Assembly following the election of a new executive do not seem to be something on the horizon.

The Zifa board headed by advertising and marketing guru Nqobile Magwizi on January 25 appointed councillors who took part to key positions in sub-committees. This puts a damper on the prospect of elections being held.

In a surprise move they have also come up with adhoc committees.

Adhoc committees are often put in place as and when need arises.

Zifa had been without a substantive board since April 2023 when members of the Felton Kamambo executive were fired by the Zifa Assembly. Vice-president of the association Gift Banda who had been suspended by the Kamambo executive then took over until July 11 of 2023 when Fifa stepped in and appointed Lincoln Mutasa as chairman of the Normalisation Committee.

He led a committee that had Nyasha Samanyandwe a young Harare-based lawyer, former Mighty Warriors player and coach Rosemary Mugadza, Sikhumbuzo Ndebele a former footballer and Fifa administration graduate and accountant Cynthia Malaba.

The Zifa Assembly members’ term of office expired in 2022 after four years having been voted in 2018.

Fifa keen to bring an end to their micro-management of Zimbabwe football, resolved to give the councillors a shelf life to vote the board in.

Constitutionally, the councillors are out of term and Magwizi and team have a tough call on their lap.

Facilitate the football family choosing their new councillors or retaining the performers or keep the whole bunch that voted them into office.

Working with a new group of councillors may present a problem for the board as they would not have been voted by the new brooms.

The old ones’ demands may be a challenge. They may push for more beyond sub-committees’ appointments knowing they hold sway in numbers.

Zifa executive member Thomas Marambanyika who was in Bulawayo on Saturday for the Zifa Southern Region Awards, disclosed that the Zifa executive and councillors will meet on March 25.

If the matter of a new Assembly is brought up for debate it is unlikely that councillors will vote to seek a fresh mandate from their constituencies as they are deemed a low unto themselves.

There is a feeling that some councillors have overstayed in some constituencies and are adding no value at all to the game.

Contacted for comment the Zifa media office, promised to attend to the matter on Thursday. At the time of going to print they had not returned the favour.

The election of Magwizi with Kennedy Ndebele and Loveness Mukura as his deputies has given hope to a country whose football has been embroiled in turmoil since 2003 when Leo Mugabe left.

Bans and suspensions have been the order of the day at the expense of competent and merit-based leadership.