Chiyangwa under fire over Zifa polls

The Central Region Soccer League has raised the flag over Zifa's continued dithering over the upcoming elections after moving a motion urging the country's football mother body to clearly outline the election road-map in line with its constitution.

Zifa failed to hold their annual general meeting (AGM) last year, which would have paved way for elections in March, after failing to meet the constitution requirement of notifying the association's council 60 days before the AGM.

In accordance with the constitution, the December 17 aborted Zifa congress was expected to appoint an electoral committee headed by a chairman and also comprising a deputy chairman and committee members.

The Zifa elections can only be held under the supervision of the electoral committee, which should be set up atleast six months before the polls for the board.

Elections are also due for all Zifa's affiliates, including the Premier Soccer League, the four regions, provinces, beach soccer and futsal, after which the councillors will vote to elect a new board.

In what seems to be a mist of confusion, the Central Region Soccer League has moved a motion to stage the elections in March when the current board and all affiliates end their term, a move that is aimed at ensuring the constitution is upheld.

Central Region Soccer League chairman Stanley Chapeta confirmed his region's position in an interview with Standardsport.

"We have moved the motion to have our elections held in March and at this stage, we wait for the assembly to deliberate on the matter so that we operate as guided by what our constitution requires," said Chapeta.

The Zifa leadership, which is facing a legitimacy crisis, has been accused of dithering over the election roadmap in order to prolong their mandate and then buy time to attend this year's Fifa World Cup to be held in Russia in June.

While Zifa maintain that it will outline the elections roadmap after their annual meeting slated for February 17 in Harare, sources told Standardsport that the Chiyangwa-led board's reign lacked legitimacy after its failure to hold an AGM last year.
"The election which ushered Cuthbert Dube back into office was held on the 29th of March 2014 at Zifa Village after the first term of office had also come on March 2010.

"Remember, the Chiyangwa-led board was just completing Cuthbert Dube's term and their mandate will end on March 29, after that they won't have any legitimacy," a Zifa councillor said yesterday.

Speaking on the sidelines of a meeting with the leadership of National Sports Associations in Harare yesterday, Sports and Recreation Commission board chairman Edward Siwela urged the Zifa leadership to be compliant with its own constitution.

"We want all our associations to be compliant and it's one of the deliverables for SRC within the 100 days. It's important for us that associations comply with their founding documents such as the constitutions because that is important," he said.

Siwela also challenged the Zifa Council to play according to the rules.

"The approach that the SRC has always taken is that we give the initial responsibility to the membership of the body. In Zifa's case, they have councillors and we would like the Zifa council to pronounce itself in terms of governance.

"They have the responsibility to call the board to account and they have all range of options that they can take. I must say that I was encouraged by the Zifa council when they asserted themselves in relation to the AGM which did not take place after they said the board must observe the constitutional notice period. ..They should not be held hostage by people they put into office," Siwela said.