daniel chigunwe
Robson Sharuko
Editor
THE countdown to the landmark ZIFA elections set for January next year is being hijacked by some powerful forces who want to influence the process and put in structures which will ensure the poll’s outcome suits their interests.
ZIFA has not had elections for its leadership for SIX years now.
The last poll came in December 2018 when Felton Kamambo shocked Philip Chiyangwa to become the association’s boss.
Many of the Councillors who were the kingmakers in that poll, whose outcome ended up being contested in court, have emerged as the influential people who are calling the shots, and tampering with the Road Map, to ensure the outcome will suit their interests.
Even those who were implicated in the Ecocashgate scandal, which landed Kamambo in the dock facing allegations of having bought his way to the top job at ZIFA, have re-emerged to take very influential roles in the process, which will culminate in the polls.
Kamambo was acquitted on charges that he bribed Concillors to vote for him and that ruling also freed the 25 Councillors who were accused of being bribed to ensure he became ZIFA president.
The State had claimed that Kamambo paid US$8,310 to 25 delegates as bribes for them to vote for him.
However, regional magistrate Bianca Makwande acquitted Kamambo and ruled that the State failed to prove its case.
Key witness, the late Robert Matoka, who was Kamambo’s elections campaign manager, disowned his statement that the Councillors were bribed.
Instead, he said the money was paid to cover expenses for the Councillors who were invited to the campaigns which Kamambo was holding.
Some of those who were implicated were part of the bloated delegation, which was flown by ZIFA to Egypt for the 2019 Nations Cup finals.
Now, they have emerged as powerful people in the consultations being done ahead of the ZIFA AGM on October 18.
There have been issues about who qualifies to be at the ZIFA AGM with some forces being accused of trying to manipulate the process by having their own people who will be singing in their corner.
For instance, in the ZIFA Southern Region, there was a brazen attempt to ensure a leadership, which was pro-Kamambo and refused to play a part in the process to remove him from office, should represent the bloc at the ZIFA AGM this month.
“This was being done by some people who are fighting very hard to control the whole process so that, in the end, they are the ones who will benefit and not football itself,” said a former Councillor.
“We are talking about a new era for our game, after all the pain it has endured in recent years, yet if you look closely you will see that the same people, who have been calling the shots over the past two decades, are the ones still doing so right now.
“The challenge with our football is that we have tended to only concentrate on those people who are elected and not those who elect these people and this has resulted in us changing leaders, now and again, yet the roots of all the chaos remain strong.”
The ZIFA Southern Region will be represented by chairman Lloyd Munhanga, vice-chairman Tafadzwa Mutowa, secretary Blessing Mbwanda, finance chief Tizirayi Luphahla, marketing chief Khumbulani Mbano and fixtures secretary and Prince Nyoni.
These are the people who were meant to be sacrificed and replaced by the group which was supposed to just come and sing their masters’ songs.
Mathew Masinge
Online Reporter