adminGrace Chingoma Sports Reporter
FANS, players and stakeholders have been debating expressing their choices be it on social media or through the mainstream media but their voices don’t matter much as they are not the ones with the mandate to choose the next Zifa president.
But who are these men and women who would be voting today for the Zifa board? Who are these people who are expected to choose a leader and his board members who will usher in a new chapter in Zimbabwean football?
The manifestos have been tabled, the campaigning has been done and the strategising completed.
And, this afternoon, it is now up to 58 councillors to choose the new leadership of the Zifa board for the next four years.
Although The Herald could not obtain the election roll with specific names of all the delegates who are expected to vote, as it was once again kept a secret by the Zifa secretariat, we have all the constituencies and the number of people from each constituency expected to cast their votes today.
From the fast lane of Premier Soccer League to the backwaters of the Area Zones, from Naph to Nash, they will converge to select a leader they believe is the best candidate to lead their football for the next four years.
Each of the 16 PSL clubs will be sending a representative and the top-flight league has 16 votes from its 16 councillors.
The four Regions – Central, Eastern, Southern and Northern – will each have four representatives casting their votes for 16 votes.
It means that the Regions have as much power, in determining the leader of Zifa, just as the PSL even though this is the flagship league.
The country’s ten provinces will each have one representative and the chairmen are the ones coming to vote.
The Matabeleland North province chairman is Dennis Tshuma while Midlands will be represented by long-serving boss Brian Chishanga and both are loyal to Cuthbert Dube.
And so is Harare’s Owen Chandamale.
Bulawayo’s Horace Ndubiwa, Masvingo’s Wellington Muchemwa, Mashonaland Central’s Gilbert Saika, Mashonaland West Derick Matapuri, Mashonaland East David Mpuli and Matabeleland South’s Nkosilathi Ncube complete the provincial bloc.
Four representatives from the Zimbabwe Women Soccer League will also cast their votes this afternoon.
Mirriam Sibanda is the new chairperson of ZWSL and her deputy is Elizabeth Langa.
However, only the female personnel from the board up to the regional level are eligible to vote at national elections.
So the male board members – Ben Mamoche, Edwin Magosvongwe and Trust Kwembeya – are some of the people not eligible to vote in this election.
Two representatives from the National Association of Primary Heads will also be casting their votes as well as two representatives from National Association of Secondary Heads.
Two more representatives from the tertiary educatuon sector are also part of the voting personnel.
Four area zones representatives, one from each region, will also have a say in the new Zifa board.
One representative from beach soccer and Five Aside will cast their vote.
Voting Delegates
Premier Soccer Clubs – 16 people; Four National Division One regions – 16 people; Ten National Provinces – ten people; Women’s Soccer League – four people; National Association of Primary Heads – two people; National Association of Secondary Heads – two people; Tertiary – two people; Area Zones – four people; Beach soccer – one person; Futsal – one person.
Online Reporter