Sports / soccer
Vice-President Nkomo to intervene: Zifa
18 May 2011 at 07:42hrs | Views
The Zimbabwe Football Association (Zifa) has asked Vice-President John Nkomo to intervene in the asset dispute with its former chief executive Henrietta Rushwaya, Daily News reported yesterday.
Nkomo replaced the late Vice-President Joseph Msika as Zifa's patron.
Zifa is involved in a legal battle with Rushwaya over the ownership of four vehicles and three generators that Rushwaya is keeping in her custody.
The vehicles at the centre of the wrangle are three Isuzu 300D double cab trucks and a Toyota Vigo single cab. Rushwaya claims Msika gave her the property in her personal capacity, while Zifa maintains they were donations made to the association.
Zifa lawyer Ralph Maganga confirmed having met Nkomo, who gave the association the go-ahead to reclaim the property.
"We had a meeting with our patron the vice-president and he encouraged us to collect all the Zifa assets that are in the possession of private individuals," Maganga said.
"The vice-president said the property belongs to Zifa, and he also supports us in our dispute with Rushwaya."
The dispute between Rushwaya and Zifa is now before the High Court as a civil matter.
Selby Hwacha, Rushwaya's lawyer, said court papers are yet to be served.
Nkomo's intervention comes in the wake of frustrations of Zifa's efforts to repossess the assets which they claim have been annexed by their former CEO, Rushwaya.
Zifa has frantically tried to force Rushwaya to return the assets to the extent of reporting the matter to local police.
They reported Rushwaya to the police criminal investigations department early April for "stealing property belonging to the association".
Zifa has now been forced to adopt a two-pronged approach by filing a civil case at the High Court against Rushwaya.
Rushwaya has refused to return the property since she was fired by the Zifa board last October. She claims Msika gave her the property in her personal capacity.
Rushwaya, an unsuccessful Zanu-PF parliamentary aspirant in 2008, enjoyed a close relationship with the late vice-president.
"She continues to be in unlawful possession of Zifa assets and property," Mangaga said.
The civil suit was filed on April 22.
The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, which donated the property through Msika's office, and CMED, a government department allegedly being used by Rushwaya for safekeeping the cars, are cited as respondents in the matter.
Rushwaya was suspended by Zifa on August 27 last year on charges of maladministration and funds misappropriation, and was subsequently dismissed two months later.
The former schoolteacher, who rose from relative obscurity to become the most powerful person in local football, is also in the line of fire in Fifa's global probe into match-fixing.
Rushwaya is accused of masterminding Zimbabwe's involvement with Asian betting syndicates, who paid players to lose matches in questionable friendly matches in the Far East.
Fifa representatives arrived in Malaysia on Thursday as part of a global investigation into the bribery racket.
As part of the trip, the Fifa officials are investigating two Malaysia-Zimbabwe friendly matches played in 2009.
Malaysia won both matches but Fifa subsequently revoked the status of the games after it was determined that Monomotapa Football Club, with Rushwaya's full blessings, masqueraded as the Zimbabwe national side in one of the matches.
Nkomo replaced the late Vice-President Joseph Msika as Zifa's patron.
Zifa is involved in a legal battle with Rushwaya over the ownership of four vehicles and three generators that Rushwaya is keeping in her custody.
The vehicles at the centre of the wrangle are three Isuzu 300D double cab trucks and a Toyota Vigo single cab. Rushwaya claims Msika gave her the property in her personal capacity, while Zifa maintains they were donations made to the association.
Zifa lawyer Ralph Maganga confirmed having met Nkomo, who gave the association the go-ahead to reclaim the property.
"We had a meeting with our patron the vice-president and he encouraged us to collect all the Zifa assets that are in the possession of private individuals," Maganga said.
"The vice-president said the property belongs to Zifa, and he also supports us in our dispute with Rushwaya."
The dispute between Rushwaya and Zifa is now before the High Court as a civil matter.
Selby Hwacha, Rushwaya's lawyer, said court papers are yet to be served.
Nkomo's intervention comes in the wake of frustrations of Zifa's efforts to repossess the assets which they claim have been annexed by their former CEO, Rushwaya.
Zifa has frantically tried to force Rushwaya to return the assets to the extent of reporting the matter to local police.
They reported Rushwaya to the police criminal investigations department early April for "stealing property belonging to the association".
Zifa has now been forced to adopt a two-pronged approach by filing a civil case at the High Court against Rushwaya.
Rushwaya has refused to return the property since she was fired by the Zifa board last October. She claims Msika gave her the property in her personal capacity.
Rushwaya, an unsuccessful Zanu-PF parliamentary aspirant in 2008, enjoyed a close relationship with the late vice-president.
"She continues to be in unlawful possession of Zifa assets and property," Mangaga said.
The civil suit was filed on April 22.
The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, which donated the property through Msika's office, and CMED, a government department allegedly being used by Rushwaya for safekeeping the cars, are cited as respondents in the matter.
Rushwaya was suspended by Zifa on August 27 last year on charges of maladministration and funds misappropriation, and was subsequently dismissed two months later.
The former schoolteacher, who rose from relative obscurity to become the most powerful person in local football, is also in the line of fire in Fifa's global probe into match-fixing.
Rushwaya is accused of masterminding Zimbabwe's involvement with Asian betting syndicates, who paid players to lose matches in questionable friendly matches in the Far East.
Fifa representatives arrived in Malaysia on Thursday as part of a global investigation into the bribery racket.
As part of the trip, the Fifa officials are investigating two Malaysia-Zimbabwe friendly matches played in 2009.
Malaysia won both matches but Fifa subsequently revoked the status of the games after it was determined that Monomotapa Football Club, with Rushwaya's full blessings, masqueraded as the Zimbabwe national side in one of the matches.
Source - Daily News
