admin
Eddie Chikamhi Senior Sports Reporter
Delegates of the ZIFA Congress yesterday said they were not moved by threats from the suspended board to turn the tables on them over their decision to hold a special Extraordinary General Meeting set for the end of this month.
The suspended board led by Felton Kamambo has resorted to bullying tactics after 27 disgruntled members advised of their intentions to revoke the mandate of the beleaguered leadership at the January 29 EGM.
The association’s suspended chief executive officer Joseph Mamutse wrote to FIFA at the weekend seeking permission to invalidate the meeting and “to institute disciplinary action against them for bringing the game of football into disrepute.”
But ZIFA Northern Region Division One chairman Martin Kweza, who has been designated by the petitioners to lead their quest, yesterday said the meeting is going ahead despite the attempts to destabilise the plans.
He said the councillors deliberately ignored the correspondence from the suspended board after Mamutse gave an ultimatum which expired last Friday for each member to confirm that they were involved in the meeting plans.
Kweza said the move by ZIFA was not only unconstitutional, but also part of the dirty tricks to intimidate the councillors.
“I am wondering what charges they are going to prefer against the delegates because it’s within our rights to call for such a meeting. Secondly, how does one get disciplined or suspended by a suspended board? To me, these are the kicks of a dying horse.
“We have been there before; former ZIFA president Cuthbert Dube tried it but in the end the meeting was held and he was voted out.
“So the meeting is going ahead as proposed. We are not worried at all by the threats,” said Kweza.
“From the word go we said we are not going to respond to their correspondence for the simple reason that the board and the CEO are all suspended by the Sports Commission and that what they are requesting is not provided for in the constitution.
“That is why we called for the EGM on January 29. It’s because we know these guys are incapacitated and, therefore, cannot convene a meeting within the stipulated time in accordance with the ZIFA constitution.
“We have also written to FIFA informing them about our rights as delegates to hold this special EGM. It’s sad that some members of the suspended board are trying to employ such dirty tricks.”
The suspended ZIFA board has been fighting tooth and nail to make sure the meeting does not happen despite it being provided for under Article 28 (2) of the ZIFA Constitution.
The councillors lodged their EGM notice via acting chief executive officer Xolisani Gwesela and were cleared.
They refused to play ball when suspended chief executive officer Mamutse wrote to them “interrogatory” letters which were backed by a January 14 deadline to respond.
The suspended chief executive responded by writing to FIFA an error-strewn letter which addresses FIFA General Secretary Fatma Samba Samoura as “Sir”.
“Further to our letter dated 3 January 2022 in which we advised that we shall request ZIFA Congress Delegates who requested for an EGM to confirm whether they voluntarily participated in the petition,” wrote Mamutse.
“0n the 3 January 2022 we wrote a memo to all delegates and as at 12 January 2022 we were not favoured with any response.
“On the 12 of January 2022 we then wrote individual letters to the 27 delegates (sample letters attached) and gave them up to 14 January 2022 to respond.
“Failure by the Delegates to respond on the set deadline renders the process a nullity and leave the Executive Committee with no option but to institute disciplinary action against them for bringing the game of football into disrepute. We thank you for taking note.”
Online Reporter