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Eddie Chikamhi Harare Bureau
The Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Sport, Arts and Culture looks like they are running out of patience with the Zifa leadership after the association’s president Cuthbert Dube failed to show up at the committee yesterday. The committee’s chairman Temba Mliswa yesterday expressed his dismay after Dube failed to attend the session to discuss problems bedevilling the game at number 53 Livingstone Avenue.
Zifa president Dube wrote a letter to the committee yesterday seeking postponement of the hearing to a later date, indicating that he has a busy schedule ahead of the association’s presidential elections scheduled for tomorrow.
However, the Sports and Recreation Commission responded to the committee’s call and were represented by their high ranking officials led by director-general Charles Nhemachena, chief executive Anna Mguni and director of development Joseph Muchechetere.
Mliswa said they had hoped to have the top leadership from both SRC and Zifa leadership to be present so that they iron out sticky issues together for the benefit of the game.
The committee this week summoned Zifa and the Sports Commission to parliament to have first hand information on the matters surrounding the game.
Mliswa said they wanted to know more about the association’s financial position and about tomorrow’s presidential poll which has been challenged in courts and has been tainted with allegations of vote-buying and the levying of prohibitive fees for aspiring candidates.
The committee also wanted to know the financial situation and to ascertain if the association had submitted updated audited accounts prior to the holding of the elections
Mliswa said the committee found it disturbing that Zifa could operate in flagrant disregard of authority and said the committee would not rest until the Zifa house is put in order.
Mliswa said it was disheartening that SRC has no power to rein in Zifa when things are going out of hand.
“They wrote a letter asking for postponement but, if they think this will buy them a day or two in office, it actually will make their run of office difficult especially when they have outstanding issues they have to answer to. We also learnt from SRC’s presentation that they are not in control of the association, which is very interesting. It’s quite disturbing that we can have an institution operating in this country and benefitting from government protection yet it is not answerable to the same government.
“We will recommend to the ministry as we always do so that the correct measures are taken,” said Mliswa.
Zifa Communications manager Xolisani Gwesela said they had written to the parliament asking for postponement of the hearing because the association’s leadership have a busy schedule.
Last year Zifa were summoned by the same committee but did not show up at the parliament and cited that there was a communication breakdown. Outgoing vice-president Ndumiso Gumede then represented them the second time they were called but Dube was conspicuous by his absence.
“We have applied for the postponement basing on that we are preparing for a board meeting to be held tomorrow and also the elections coming on Saturday”, said Gwesela.
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