Kamambo’s bid to postpone trial flops

Yeukai Karengezeka

Harare Bureau

A BID by suspended Zimbabwe Football Association (Zifa) president Felton Kamambo to have his trial on bribery charges postponed again, failed on Friday after the presiding magistrate turned down his request.

Kamambo is facing charges of bribing his way to the presidency and has now been put to his defence.

Resumption of the trial had been postponed five times on the grounds that his lawyer was unavailable because of some other commitments.

However, prosecutor Mr Michael Reza turned down his request saying the court had had enough of his dramatic excuses hence he should find another lawyer or proceed as a self-actor.

Magistrate Ms Bianca Makwande agreed with Mr Reza to have the trial continue which prompted Kamambo to immediately re-engage his former lawyer Mr Admire Rubaya.

In March this year, High Court judge Justice Benjamin Chikowero, with the concurrence of Justice Pisirayi Kwenda, dismissed Kamambo’s appeal for a review of the judgment of the magistrates’ court dismissing an application for discharge at the close of the case for the prosecution.

Kamambo is facing 32 counts of bribery.

He was elected Zifa president in December 2018 then got recalled by the association’s Congress on April 23 last year, six months after the Sport and Recreation Commission (SRC) had suspended his executive committee on allegations of mismanagement of the domestic football body.

But before the SRC suspension and the recall by Congress, the State alleged that Kamambo paid inducements to 32 Zifa councillors in order to win the association’s elections against the former president Phillip Chiyangwa who was the incumbent then.

According to the State, there was no agreement or arrangement in place between Zimbabwe Football Association Electoral Committee and voters entitling them to receive such consideration.

As a result of inducements made by Kamambo on December 16, 2018, he received 35 votes against 24 votes received by Chiyangwa.

He was eventually declared the winner by Zimbabwe Football Association Election Congress chairman Vusi Vuma.