Zifa Rufaro financials ‘cooked’ -Board members allegedly paid $4,000 -Donated bus ‘hired’ for $3,000 -Cashiers paid $2,350

Sikhumbuzo Moyo Senior Sports Reporter—
A ZIFA official has made sensational claims that the beleaguered association cooked up its income and expenditure statement from the Afcon 2017 qualifier between Zimbabwe and Guinea at Rufaro Stadium to cover up for the $4,000 some board members allegedly paid themselves soon after the match. Zifa insist that no board member was paid from Sunday’s gate takings.

The Zifa income and expenditure statement, which a former finance committee member has described as a sham, reflects a total loss of $12,481 from a gross of $88,542. However, a Zifa worker who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of victimisation, declared that the figures were “cooked”.

“We expected to see the $4,000 figure paid to four board members reflecting on the expenditure statement, but it’s not there. All the list has are hugely inflated figures, which are obviously meant to cover up for the $4,000,” said the employee. The four board members (names supplied) are alleged to have paid themselves from the gate takings.

The expenditure statement contains huge figures compared to the association’s income and expenditure statement for the Olympic qualifier between Zimbabwe and South Africa at the same venue last month. From Sunday’s statement, Zifa claim $3,000 was used to hire a bus for the team, which Chronicle Sport, however, understands was availed free of charge by Herentals College. The Zifa worker also confirmed that the bus was donated for national use.

Even Zifa communications manager Xolisani Gwesela’s Press statement thanking the generality of Zimbabweans for rallying behind the Warriors and various organisations for donating generously to the national cause seemed to acknowledge that the bus was not hired.

“The Premier Soccer League, Joma, Tanganda Private Limited, Herentals College, Daisy Lodge, Prophet Magaya and his partners all contributed generously towards the successful staging of Sunday’s match,” read Gwesela’s statement issued on Monday.

The $3,000 bus hire is extremely exorbitant compared to the $900 Zifa used to hire a bus for the Young Warriors last month.

According to Zifa’s expenditure statement released after the Young Warriors’ game against South Africa, the association hired a bus from Joel Tours for $900.

An official from Joel Tours said they hire out a bus for $150 per day without fuel and $175 on a full tank.

Gwesela was at pains to justify the $3,000 bus hire figure on the statement, claiming it was meant to offset arrears they incurred with an unnamed transporter for previous national team matches. “The $3,000 was for a transporter the association owed for previous matches,” he said declining to elaborate. That figure has, however, never appeared in the Zifa books.

Reminded that the Warriors have played two home matches against Comoros and Guinea; the Young Warriors have hosted Cameroon, Swaziland and South Africa while the Mighty Warriors have only played one match against Zambia in Harare, Gwesela could still not pinpoint which matches Zifa owed this unnamed transporter. The expenditure list also indicates that $2,350 was paid to cashiers, who Zifa claimed were 25 with each receiving $94.

However, a cashier said they were 20 in total and were each paid $100. “Cashiers’ fees are standard and it doesn’t matter whether it’s an international match for juniors or seniors.” The expenditure list shows a car hire of $300 for match officials, $300 for the match commissioner and then $600 for referees. Again, Gwesela claimed the expenditure list included money that Zifa owed some match officials for a previous game he could not name.

Another former finance committee member queried the $1,400 figure listed under competitions, saying it was an astronomical figure. “Under competitions, you are talking of people who will be ushering VIPs, those seconded to heads of departments, and the number can certainly not be more than 10. “If they were 10, it means those ushers would have received $140 each, which is $40 more than cashiers who are paid more,” he said.

Questions have also been raised about the $750 paid to the finance committee since Zifa presently operates without such a committee after the one led by Bernard Gwarada was dissolved. Gwarada was also suspended for allegedly belonging to a clique opposed to the Cuthbert Dube’s leadership. Board member Fungai Chihuri is the acting board member for finance.