Online Reporter
Veronica Gwaze
Zimpapers Sports Hub
FROM the moment she stepped into the room, Chido Chizondo made it hard to look away.
Wearing a tan coat over a printed dress and beige heels, she radiated quiet confidence.
There was something sharper about her; she was more focused, more assured.
At the Zimbabwe Women’s Premier Soccer League (ZWPSL) elections held at Yadah Hotel, no one came close to matching her energy.
Even those governors still undecided by that morning likely made up their minds the second she walked in.
A few hours later, the results confirmed what most had already sensed. Chizondo won in a landslide, taking 13 of the 16 votes. Her only opponent, Nthokoziso Moyo, finished with just three.
The room shifted when the ZIFA electoral committee announced the Platinum Royals chairperson’s win.
Faces lit up. Applause broke out. She was ready.
“I am grateful for this honour to serve women’s football and I appreciate your faith in me to help reshape the narrative,” Chizondo said in her acceptance speech. “Together with the new team, our role is to elevate the league further by building upon the solid foundation that was laid by the predecessors.”
Chizondo’s journey into football was not part of any long-term plan. It began in the technology field.
A skilled software developer, she carved out a reputation as one of the sharpest minds in the field.
She was on the rise, with all signs pointing to a future firmly rooted in technology, until a chance encounter changed everything.
“I was working for a certain company at that time, and I would also do events management,” she said.
“On this day, I don’t know what exactly Honourable Chitando saw in me, but in a brief conversation he said, ‘Chido, I think you can add so much value in football.’”
That suggestion came from Winston Chitando, then chairperson of Mimosa Mining Company.
At first, Chizondo laughed it off. Football? It was not something she had ever considered. But the idea stuck.
She thought it over, and eventually said yes. In 2013, she joined Platinum Holdings under its football division, starting out as a media liaison official.
Her job was to manage communications and give the club’s brand a public face. She was good at it. Her work led to a promotion, first to spokesperson, then to broader leadership roles.
“In that time, we carried out a lot of branding strategies, and that is how I grew and matured in football,” she said.
But the shift into football was not smooth. Early on, she was not even allowed on the pitch. Myths and superstitions in men’s football labelled women as bad luck.
She remembers being kept on the sidelines, literally.
Still, she did not back down. Slowly, she earned trust and space. The platinum miners began to let her in, and when they did, they were not just opening the door for her.
They were setting a new tone for the game. Her presence helped chip away at outdated views, making it easier for other women to follow.
And when Platinum Royals, Zvishavane’s women’s team, was formed in 2022, it made perfect sense that she would be named manager.
She later became chairperson.
It was during her time with the Royals that she noticed deeper problems in the system.
“When I joined the ZWPSL, I could see there was a need, and some of the people who knew me even persuaded me to join the interim executive,” she said. “However, I declined because I felt it was not yet my time, not until now, when I voluntarily threw my name into the hat to join the race because I wanted it.”
The decision to run was not easy. The process, from application to campaigning, was demanding.
She admits there were moments of anxiety; moments when the outcome felt far from certain.
But when the votes were counted and her name was called, the emotions hit hard.
“I almost broke down into tears. I was overwhelmed because this is a giant leap for me,” she said. “However, there is no time to rest because the league has challenges that need urgent attention, particularly in securing sponsorship and forming strategic partnerships.”
Chizondo’s vision is bold, but grounded.
She wants to reshape the landscape of women’s football in Zimbabwe, not with slogans or speeches, but by building real, lasting systems.
She is focused on long-term support, better funding and giving young players the opportunities they deserve.
