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Lovemore Dube Sports Editor
ZIFA provincial elections set for the weekend hang in the balance following disclosure by the Sport and Recreation Commission that they are not happy with the nomination fees set by the national association.The issue came to light yesterday afternoon when Chronicle Sport spoke to SRC board chairman Joseph James who said his organisation was still not happy with the reductions made by Zifa.
“We are still not happy with the reductions. We still feel the fees have been pegged at a level which is rather discriminatory. They have made changes from the original figures but we are still not happy,” said James.
Zifa have come under fire over excessive nomination fees for elections from Area Zone level to Zifa board. Those vying for office in the lowest level were to have paid $100 which was later reduced to $50 on January 3 and to $20 on January 17.
The highest figure would have been for the Zifa board where candidates would have been forced to fork out $10,000, which was reduced to $7,500 and then $5,000. There is still a feeling that these are too high and not the best interests of the game.
“We still want Zifa to attend to that issue,” said the respected city lawyer.
Nomination for posts started last week with a few people grappling for provincial posts. Most of the people went in unopposed as word about the new fees got to a few at the close of nomination for elections set for Saturday.
Members vying for PSL office will pay $2,000. Had there not been an outcry club officials would have had to pay $5,000.
That figure was reduced to $3,000.
Running sport among elected members is a voluntary exercise. Making them pay a lot of money could lead to some using unorthodox means to recover what they would have spent to get to the top.
Many have discovered that in soccer one can steal and not be sent to jail. Last year Zifa chief executive officer Jonathan Mashingaidze defended the high fees. He said the electoral process was expensive and they still had a debt of $8,000 from the 2010 elections that ushered in the Cuthbert Dube led Zifa Assembly.
Zifa seem to have diverted from the norm where elections are held during annual general meetings as is the case with most organised society groups.
It has become a special event that has drawn the soccer family into factions leaving the image of the game badly bruised. Unlike in the past where hostilities ended as soon as the winner was announced, of late these have become life long vendetta’s.
Losers stay for years with an aggrieved position and don’t fully support winners for the good of the game and the nation. Yesterday one of the game’s elder statesmen Vincent Pamire called on Zimbabweans to put the game of football and the nation first.
He said issues of camps or factions were not good for the future. “I urge Zimbabweans to come together for the good of the game and I hope Zifa will listen to people’s concerns about the fees and the whole election process and act so that there is transparency and a spirit of unity and goodwill among the candidates,” said Pamire.
Meanwhile, both the SRC and Zifa have confirmed that this year’s elections are being conducted under the new Zifa constitution, amended and ratified by both the assembly and Fifa.
The SRC also agreed to the amendments and for elections to go ahead. Zimbabwe’s sport regulating body, however, pointed out about four articles, which they felt needed attention.
“We agreed that the document passes though we identified about four items which we were not particularly happy with. I hope Zifa have since attended to those. The new constitution has come into effect now and elections will be done under the new document,” said James a former Bulawayo Wanderers and Thorngrove United midfielder who also advised 2003 league champions AmaZulu.
Zifa’s spokesperson Xolisani Gwesela also confirmed from Cape Town that the new constitution is being used for the 2014 elections.
Under the new constitution people can run for a maximum of two terms. Some in the present assembly have been in the structures since 1993 but with no tangible achievements to talk about.
Zifa election fees
Last year January 3 January 17
Area Zones $100 $50 $20
Provinces Men $1,000 $750 $300
Provinces Women $1,000 $750 $200
Regions Men $1,500 $1,500 $500
Regions Women $1,500 $1,500 $400
National Women $3,000 $2,000 $1,000
National Futsal $3,000 $2,000 $1,000
National Beach Soccer $3,000 $2,000 $1,000
National 1st Division $3,000 $2,000 $1,000
PSL $5,000 $3,000 $2,000
ZIFA BOARD $10,000 $7,500 $5,000
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