Zifa summoned to court over Saintfiet

contravening the Immigration Act after allegedly employing a foreign coach without a work permit.
Zifa are being accused of having employed Saintfiet as a coach when the Belgian did not have a work permit.
The association is accused of contravening section 10 (1) of the Immigration Act as read with section 36 (1)(j) of the same act.
The act states that, “No person shall employ a visitor to carry on an occupation unless the visitor has been issued with a work permit authorising such employment’’.
It is however not yet clear on who is going to represent the association in court on April 24 but there is a strong likelihood that it will be Zifa chief executive Jonathan Mashingaidze.
According to the State’s facts, it is alleged that on October 21, 2010 Zifa contracted Saintfiet as Zimbabwe national soccer team head coach.
A contract of employment was designed and signed by Saintfiet.
Immigration officials, it is alleged, then checked with Zifa officials who admitted that they indeed employed Saintfiet, a foreign coach without a work permit.
In December 2010, Zifa had their appeal to have the former Namibia coach granted a work permit thrown out by the Department of Immigration through a letter to the association from Clemence Masango, the principal director of immigration.
Saintfiet also instituted his own litigation against Zifa with the Belgian claiming salaries he ought to have been paid in terms of the contract he had entered into with the local soccer mother body.