Chronicle Editor
Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter
FORMER Highlanders secretary general, Andrew “Squad” Tapela has thrown his name into the hat and will be challenging long serving incumbent Musa Mandaza for the Zifa Southern Region chairmanship.
The regional elections will be held on October 14 and nominations for candidates to submit their names close on September 17.
According to well placed sources, the former firebrand Zifa councillor has been approached by a number of clubs to challenge Mandaza, who has already confirmed that he will seek another mandate.
“I understand his papers were sent through yesterday and it’s all set. It’s going to be an interesting election,” said a source.
According to information gathered by this publication, other candidates that submitted their papers yesterday are ZPC (Hwange) secretary general Mehluli Thebe, former ZRP (Byo) chairman and ex-Black Mambas player Fiso Siziba as well as incumbent board member Bryton Malandule.
“Another incumbent Gaylord Madhunguza will also seek re-election and is likely to be unchallenged,” said the source.
It is, however, the entry by Tapela into the election fray that has brought an interesting dimension to the race to the regional football politics as it had been believed that Mandaza will go unchallenged.
Tapela was previously slapped with a suspension from the Zifa assembly in 2004 alongside six other councillors fighting against the game’s leadership then.
Other councillors who met the wrath of the Rafiq Khan leadership were Francis Zimunya, Admore Nyamuramba, Benedict Moyo, Pharaoh Jele, Leonard Nkala and Aaron Munautsi.
The seven were suspended for their firm calls for good corporate governance. Efforts to get a comment from Tapela and Siziba were fruitless yesterday as their mobile numbers were not going through.
Siziba, besides playing for Black Mambas, was also their team manager. During his time at ZRP (Byo), the team became a force to reckon with and was firmly in the championship matrix for the better part of the 2016 season.
Online Reporter