adminGovernor Gideon Gono.
The Deputy Sheriff attached equipment from three offices at the haunted Zifa headquarters.
In March, the lodge filed a lawsuit seeking to recover US$57 232, 65 — with interest — for the hospitality facilities and services it provided to the national football team and the Zifa board between August and December last year.
When Pandhari filed their claim in March, local travel agent Tranverze also weighed in with their claim of US$65 000 from the football association for the air tickets they provided during international trips between October 2009 and March 2010.
Zifa failed to respond within the scheduled time, prompting Pandhari to seek the services of the Messenger of Court yesterday.
The drama unfolded in the afternoon when the Deputy Sheriff descended on 53 Livingstone Avenue and stripped some of the offices bare.
Staff at Zifa House immediately closed the offices and locked the gate early, maybe in fear that the Messenger of Court might return for another raid.
It is understood that the offices used by finance and administration manager Benjamin Dhewa, communications manager Nicky Dhlamini and the reception area fronted by Pamela Chiwaya were stripped bare.
The Deputy Sheriff wanted to remove more equipment from Zifa chief executive Jonathan Mashingaidze’s office but found the doors locked.
Mashingaidze and Zifa president Cuthbert Dube are in Budapest, Hungary, for a Fifa congress just as the house they are leading is burning.
Dube has re-iterated that the football association is broke and that he had used nearly US$600 000 from his personal funds to bankroll football activities.
The Zifa president Dube also claimed that he had also been footing the salaries for the Zifa staff while allowing Mashingaidze to operate from his PMAS offices at times.
Before his departure for Hungry, Dube said he was going to lobby to Fifa for financial assistance as they are in need of US$300 000 for the Independent Ethics Committee to conclude their investigations into the Asiagate scandal.
Zifa have made numerous requests for financial assistance from Fifa, to cover the costs of concluding the Asiagate investigations, but have not received any response from the world football controling body.
Dhlamini said she was not present when the Deputy Sheriff raided their offices and was not sure of the status of the executioner.
“I was not present and I do not know who gave the instructions. I did not see the papers that were filed,” said Dhlamini.
Zifa chief operating officer, Joseph Mamutse, who is holding fort in Mashingadze’s absence, was not at liberty to shed more light.
The chaos at Zifa House could all but defer the Warriors’ intended camp to prepare for their World Cup qualifier against Guinea at home on June 3.
Warriors’ coach Rahman Gumbo announced a squad which was expected to go into camp today but the move is now highly unlikely with Dhlamini now hoping camp will resume after the Premiership games on Thursday.
“At the moment, I do not think that camp is possible because some of the players will be involved in the mid-week Premiership games,” said Dhlamini.
Interestingly, Zifa had been hoping to get the Warriors to camp at Pandhari Lodge but the relationship turned sour.
In May last year, Zifa survived the execution of their property after former Warriors coach Sunday Chidza-mbwa won a writ of execution to attach property over a US$67 000 debt.
Zifa moved in to block the attachment of their property and their lawyers are also expected to try and stop the sale of the property attached yesterday.
This is not the first time that furniture at Zifa House has been attached after Led Car Hire moved in December 2004 as they sought to recover Z$290 million. Almost all the office equipment and two cars went under the hammer when Rafik Khan was the leader of the association.
Online Reporter