adminSikhumbuzo Moyo Senior Sports Reporter
CORRUPT people should not be elected to lead Zifa, an opposition lawmaker has said.
Speaking in Parliament on Wednesday ahead of elections for a new Zifa board on December 5, Senator Matson Hlalo said no organisation or country can succeed if it is led by corrupt people.
Contributing to a motion raised by Senator Alice Chimbudzi on the promotion of sports development in the country, the MDC-T legislator said Zifa councillors must elect a results-oriented person whose sole aim is to take Zimbabwe to the World Cup.
“When we are talking of soccer and people who want to lead Zifa we should ask are they people who have soccer administration at heart? Are they aware of the roles and functions of the (Zifa) president? Do they know the challenges faced by the Zifa president? In most cases, these people are only interested in the prestige which comes with the leadership of this popular sport in Zimbabwe,” said Hlalo.
He said the councillors must look into the background of all candidates to check if they have ever made any contribution to sport, especially soccer, and whether that person has ever done anything progressive in their life.
“….so that when we talk to him, we will inquire as to what he has achieved. In the past, we had soccer administrators with soccer at heart such as the late John Madzima and the late Isaac Chirwa. They had plans for the players. My plea is that we should elect somebody who is results oriented who aims to take Zimbabwe to the World Cup.
“Our youths will also look at us and say we should lead them to the World Cup as the leaders. I’m surprised because I heard some of my honourable colleagues, whom I will not mention by name, saying they want to go into soccer yet they do not have an idea how soccer is administered. But because there are money bags, they are aiming to make the soccer fraternity their cash cow. The Bible cites money as the root of all evil.
“We want to encourage people that even if somebody has money and they bribe you, spend the money but don’t vote for him so that you curb corruption,” said Hlalo.
He said Zifa councillors must not repeat previous mistakes of voting for someone with no football background simply because the person had money.
“Because money that time was power, they elected the wrong person. It’s not his fault that he is poor in the administration of soccer, but due to corrupt activities, we elected him. Therefore, I implore fellow Zimbabweans; we have been given a chance to elect a new Zifa leadership, let us have a policy that we want somebody who loves sport and soccer.
“In my life time, I’ve not heard of a country that has developed due to corruption, but all around us, corruption has proven to be destructive and poisonous. Therefore, we have been given a chance to lead (and) we should have the courage to tell an individual or people the truth about any corrupt would-be candidates. Let us not run away from the truth.
“In some countries, when you send your name for nomination to public office, people will come out and describe you as they know. If you are corrupt or have embezzled some funds, they will make a public declaration that the person is not fit for office due to his corrupt tendencies. We have seen in most cases these corrupt people succeed in holding office because people will only look at the individual and say, ‘he is a smart and very clean man, let him lead us’. If somebody knows your criminal background, he should inform people not to vote for you,” said Hlalo.
Online Reporter