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Innocent Kurira, in BULAWAYO
ZIFA Southern Region female referees have levelled serious allegations of sexual harassment against the referees’ committee leadership.
The referees, who are based in Bulawayo, wrote to the recently installed national normalisation committee expressing their concerns last month.
Their complaints also border around alleged incompetence, bribery and tribalism.
Bulawayo football match officials have been on each other’s throats since the late 1980s. The infighting has cost some promising referees their careers with whoever comes in to run the committee eager to settle old grudges.
National Referees committee vice-chairperson Ruzive Ruzive says he got the letter three days ago despite the letter being dated June 17, 2023.
“We only learnt of the letter on social media. Perhaps it’s because it is from an anonymous source. The allegations are serious and we have forwarded the matter to authorities above us as this is not a matter to ignore,” said Ruzive.
The previous board led by Felton Kamambo presided over the worst phase for female referees in Zimbabwe. FIFA have said the allegations should continue to be investigated.
A source who spoke on condition of anonymity said while the accusations were of a serious nature, there was need for full investigations into the matter.
So far, no female referee has volunteered to associate with the document.
“Not so long ago people were asked to come forward if they had problems of this nature but they never showed face. It becomes a concern now when people suddenly show up now when they had an opportunity to expose these things but they did not.
“However, these are serious allegations and they should be looked into if we want to make our football clean,” said the source.
A former ZIFA official Obert Zhoya was suspended by FIFA last year for alleged abuse of female colleagues when he was in the national referees’ committee.
An extract of the letter doing the social media rounds reads as follows:
“It’s sad how we have called for justice, equality, and fairness to us female referees as well as other male referees. We have tried to engage our superiors at the provincial and regional level to assist us, but we have been told to have patience.
“We are writing this article on the condition of anonymity for the sake of our safety, image, future in this particular profession hoping that this article will expose, shame, the perpetrators at the same time hoping that this article will make waves, reach out to higher authorities so we can get justice.
“Female referees and other male referees in the Southern Region, Bulawayo Province face threats, sexual harassment, extortion, tribalism, bribery demands for they say for all junior referees to be promoted, if you are female you have to have sexual relations with the instructors, commissioners while young male referees are being asked to pay bribes, or being asked to pay US$60 every month so they can be promoted to Class 1 or to be made to officiate in higher leagues ie: PSL, Division One.
“For us junior referees in Bulawayo Province it’s hard to resist these demands because you will not be given games to officiate and what’s more painful is we have no protection at all.
“At the end referees will end up giving in to these demands because of desperation, intimidation, fear, segregation. It’s sad we as Referees in Bulawayo have turned away from the Love and Passion of football to be sex slaves, money machines, all tribal wars in Zimbabwe are being fought at our expense.”
The letter alleges perpetrators are known but nothing has been done to them.
Two named officials that Chronicle could not reach out to last night are accused of receiving monthly bribes of US$60 to fixture referees.
“This has gone on for far too long and we are seeking help and intervention from anyone, any organisation that can keep us out of that situation. It’s painful how someone of my age is forced to have unprotected sex with a man thrice my age, who’s old enough to be my father.
“As I speak one of the female referees is pregnant then after we and other referees confronted her, she admitted that the Father of the baby is one of the named officials” reads part of the letter.
Online Reporter