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as heads of delegations during the national Under-20 team’s tours of China and Bulgaria which were marred by allegations of match fixing and bribery.
Mashonaland West councillor Makuvaro said because he had been reduced to a mere passenger on the Young Warriors trip to China in 2009, he saw nothing suspicious on that trip.
Both Makuvaro and Mukweva said they had ceded their duties to former Zifa chief executive Henrietta Rushwaya and former Highlanders striker Zenzo Moyo respectively.
Makuvaro told the Zifa probe team into the Asiagate scam that he had travelled as the head of delegation on the trip to China but had lost his bag, which had his official HOD report to the association on the flight to back home.
He however, said he had not seen any suspicious characters who were likely to be match-fixing agents during the tour and said everything seemed in order as they had been received by an official from the Chinese Football Association on their arrival in Beijing.
Zifa vice-president and former referee Kenny Marange said he saw nothing untoward in the game which he officiated in between Bahrain and Togo in November 2009 which the West Africans lost 5-1.
Marange has been implicated in the Asiagate scam amid accusations that he handled a game whose result was fixed.
But the former Fifa and Caf referee insisted his appointment to the game together with that of his assistants Masimba Chihowa, Cosmas Nyoni and Christopher Manuel was above board.
“This appointment was communicated to me by a then Zifa employee Jonathan Musavengana by phone.
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“My assistants to this match were Masimba Chihowa and Cosmas Nyoni and Christopher Manuel was the fourth official.
“We were asked to submit our passport details to the Zifa office for the visa application process. Having confirmed with Muzambi, the passport details were submitted and the Port of entry visas were issued.
“I together with my assistants travelled to Bahrain via Addis Ababa on 4/11/2009. the match was played at Bahrain National Stadium and the result was 5-1 in favour of Bahrain.
“The match fees was paid at Fifa rates i.e. US$500/day, assistant referees US$350/day and fourth official US$350/day. We returned home on 7/11/2009 via Dubai and Johannesburg arriving home on 8/11/2009. It is my hope that this report is relevant and useful to our investigations. I will be available for any further enquiries relating to this matter,” wrote Marange in his submission to the investigating committee. Makuvaro’s delegation also included coach Methembe Ndlovu, Godfrey Japajapa as the team manager and Mordekai Sachikonye as the team doctor. He said the tour had not yielded any financial gain for them following indications from Rushwaya that there was no money.
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“I was phoned by Henrietta Rushwaya in her capacity as Zifa CEO that I was going to be HOD on a trip to Taipei in China with the national team.
Makuvaro alleged that although he was the head of delegation, he did not get an opportunity to do his duties as he was kept in the dark on the goings-on during the trip.
“On that trip I was HOD by name only because whatever was happening or going to happen was not informed or involved. I was never given the opportunity to carry out my HOD duties and I was told by the CEO that there was no money
“She gave me US$100 and told me that I was going to receive allowances when we returned back home.”
Makuvaro reckoned that poor preparations rather than match-fixing had led to the Young Warriors’ defeats.
“Our team was beaten through poor preparations. We just assembled and never trained as a team. I never saw any suspicious characters as I was always left deliberately alone.
“After our first game, myself, CEO and Japajapa went back to the hotel and I went into my room. After the first game the players were not happy about something and were complaining but unfortunately the players were taken aside by their management and I don’t know what transpired then.
“Whilst in China I was given by the CEO Chinese Yen money which was a contribution collected by and from the Zimbabwe delegation officials to assist or cushion me. It was US$100.
“The CEO was the one who was paying out these monies. The CEO had a bust up with Sachikonye and I was embarrassingly told to keep quiet by her. While we were in China I wrote my HOD report and put it in my traveling bag. On our flight back home my bag got lost and up to now it has not been found,” Makuvaro said.
Mukweva told the probe team led by Ndumiso Gumede and including Elliot Kasu, Benedict Moyo and Fungai Chihuri that he had complained about the discrepancy in the allowances they were given and the manner in which the Young Warriors were losing their games in Bulgaria.
“I was the HOD to the Bulgaria trip. Methembe Ndlovu was the head coach, Sunday Chidzambwa was the assistant coach, Bhekimpilo “Far” Ndlovu was the manager, Nathan Makanza was the team doctor and Lloyd Maungwa the physiotherapist.
“Harry Taruva was the one keeping the flags and the national anthem, Zenzo Moyo was in charge of proceedings and protocol of the trip, Kudzi Shaba was the organizer of the trip as he was the contact man with the organisers. We did not travel with anyone from the media.
Mukweva said by he time he arrived 18 players had already flown to Johannesburg and he followed them in the company of Ndlovu, Chidzambwa, Zenzo, Shaba and Taruva.
“We found the players in Johannesburg, Shaba told me at the airport whilst with Harry that I was only HOD by name or title only but the man in charge of all things was Mr Zenzo Moyo since it was them that had organised the trip and not Zifa.
Harry and myself were staying at some hotel 10km away from the team and the Zenzo crew. But of note is that all HOD of teams were staying away from the teams’ hotel.
“On arrival Harry bought a cellphone line which he said he had been told to buy so as to keep Sisi (CEO ) informed back home. He said he was on instruction from Sisi”.
Mukweva, however said he had been taken aback by the manner in which the Young Warriors were losing their games.
“I was very surprised by the way our team was failing to score when missing was more difficult than scoring during the game.
“In retrospect the team or players were playing to lose because on 1v1 situations which were plenty they were blasting the ball off target when it was easier to least hit the target,” Mukweva said.
The Masvingo councillor said he had convened a meeting to establish what had transpired on the pitch.
“After our first match I called for a meeting because I was hurt and disturbed by our performance and results but Kudzi Shaba, Zenzo, Sunday Chidzambwa and Methembe Ndlovu ran away from me by disappearing without due notice to me. Team manager Far (Bheki Ndlovu) gave Harry and me US$700 each but we did not sign for it anywhere.
“When we lost to South Africa, the South Africans expressed their surprise at our poor performance because we were generally a good team.
“They said they could not understand why we were performing below par and expectations in terms of results.
“On arrival I submitted my HOD report to the CEO. Later Harry phoned me telling me that other delegation members had been given US$2 000 by the team manager and Zenzo. I then wrote a letter about the issue of payments to president Nyatanga and the CEO but never got a response.”
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