Chamu Chiwanza vows to fight suspension

SUSPENDED Zifa board member Chamu Chiwanza has vowed to challenge the decision by the association's emergency committee and says he will also spill the beans over what happens at 53 Livingstone Avenue.  

Former Zifa vice-president, Omega Sibanda, who was also fingered by the association as fanning trouble in the game, said he knew the procedures to follow to clear his name and would only wait for the conclusion of the process started by the Sports Commission.

Chiwanza, who was suspended following an emergency committee meeting on Wednesday, is set to appear for a hearing to answer various charges.

These include his contested nomination for the post of the Zifa board member, instigating anarchy in the Warriors camp during the recent Afcon sojourn in Egypt and plotting to destabilise the current board.

"These are fabricated allegations by people who are trying to run away from taking responsibility for their deficiencies,'' Chiwanza said.

"Right now the Sports and Recreation Commission wants Zifa to explain how the association's business is being run and what led to the Afcon debacle in Egypt but they are trying to divert the attention by coming up with this.

"Obviously, I am going to give an appropriate response when the time comes and when I respond I am going to bring the temple down their heads and it's going to be biblical.  

"I promise you I am going to have my day when I am going to have the whole world know about the shenanigans and criminal activities that are taking place at Zifa.''

Chiwanza is the second board member to be suspended after vice-president Gift Banda, who barely lasted a month.

"They wanted me out from the onset. That is why they always had that (Stanley) Chapeta issue dangling over my head all the time.  

"They are out to eliminate all dissenting voices and perceived enemies because they are doing a lot of illegal things in relation to the money issues.  

"There are serious divisions in that board and I wonder where our football is going when there is no unity in the game's highest office.

"Emergency committees are convened without the knowledge of the other board members and a lot of plotting is taking place,'' said Chiwanza.

The Harare businessman has since received his suspension letter from Zifa chief executive officer, Joseph Mamutse.  

"The suspension is premised on the fact that the association is of the view that you committed acts of misconduct, which acts are a serious breach of the Zifa statutes and regulations," wrote Mamutse.

"The alleged acts of misconduct are as follows:  

"1. Presenting fake credentials to the Zifa Electoral Committee in 2018 elections by fraudulently misleading that you had the requisite 5 years from a certain football club when this was not the case, as is prescribed in article 32(4) of the Zifa constitution.  

"2. Deliberately and persistently leaking highly confidential association information at times mostly exaggerated, inaccurate or outright lies to the public domain.  

"3. Working with the former Zifa president Mr Chiyangwa and Vice Omega Sibanda to destabilise the new Zifa administration.  

"4. Abuse of office by influencing the Zifa Elections Committee's Appeal Committee's decision on your case with Mr Stanley Chapeta.  

"5. Intimidating some key witness in your pending electoral fraud case.  

"6. Working with Mr Chiyangwa and Mr Omega Sibanda in illegally seeking Zifa lawyers to throw away Zifa electoral cases they were handling.

"7. Directly or indirectly communicating with the Warriors in camp in Egypt in collusion with Mr Chiyangwa and Mr Omega Sibanda in a bid to manipulate the outcome of the matches involving the Warriors  

"8. Allegedly claiming to have influenced one SRC commissioner whom you claim is your friend and boasting that you have instructed him to suspend the Board or some of the members so as to diffuse your pending case before the Zifa ethics committee, in doing so bringing the name of sport and football into disrepute.''