News / National
Zifa accused of running illegal election process
3 hrs ago |
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Freelance journalist and aspiring Northern Region Soccer League executive member Hope Chizuzu has accused the Zifa Electoral Committee of conducting what he calls an illegal and unconstitutional election process, alleging that the body has exceeded its mandate and violated the association's statutes.
In two letters dated October 27, 2025 - one addressed to Zifa general secretary Yvonne Manwa and another to the Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) - Chizuzu said the current electoral roadmap "lacks legal standing" and should be withdrawn immediately.
"The Electoral Committee, without legal authority to so act, is imposing itself on members of Zifa without expressly satisfying itself if the member statutes stipulate the need for it to do so," wrote Chizuzu.
"The committee does not have the mandate to come up with the alleged roadmap, which has triggered this electoral process, as the conduct of elections for members of Zifa is an exclusive preserve of the member concerned."
Chizuzu cited Articles 1(1) and 1(2) of the Zifa Electoral Code, which he said limit the committee's authority to elections of the Zifa Executive Committee and independent commissions - not to regional leagues or affiliates unless expressly mandated.
He argued that no resolution was passed by Zifa Congress authorising the electoral committee to supervise regional elections this year, rendering the current process invalid.
"The issue of elections is done as per resolution of Congress, it being the supreme and constitutional authority on all Zifa issues," he said. "There is no resolution made at the last Congress in March 2025 to the effect that elections for members of Zifa be done as is being alleged herein."
Chizuzu also questioned the rationale for holding new elections before the end of the current executives' terms.
"Which assembly elected the Exco? When? And when did they lose their life to warrant this election in terms of the Constitution?" he asked. "The very same assembly which elected the current executive in office is now being subjected to elections, in violation of the Zifa statutes."
Zifa general secretary Yvonne Manwa confirmed receiving Chizuzu's letter but said she had referred the matter to the Electoral Committee for guidance.
"I received Chizuzu's letter and I forwarded it to the electoral committee dealing with the elections," Manwa said. "It's not really my purview, so I stand guided by the electoral committee. I will only be able to comment after the response from the electoral committee."
In his letter to the SRC, Chizuzu appealed for regulatory oversight, warning that Zifa's ongoing process could breach provisions of the Sports and Recreation Act.
"I have acquainted myself with the respective statutes as read together with the Zifa statutes and now therefore wish to draw your attention to some constitutional breaches," he wrote. "Your attention to the matter is critical in terms of compliance and legality or lack thereof."
Chizuzu said he had already filed his nomination papers before the October 21 deadline but decided to raise the alarm after discovering what he called "a defective process."
This is not the first time the outspoken journalist has challenged Zifa's electoral procedures. In 2015, he filed an urgent High Court application seeking to stop Zifa polls, but Justice Joseph Musakwa dismissed the case for lack of urgency, ruling that Chizuzu had not exhausted internal remedies within football governance structures.
Back then, Chizuzu had contested the composition of the Zifa Electoral Committee, chaired by Justice Sello Nare, claiming some members were ineligible under the constitution. The court struck the matter off the roll, paving the way for Philip Chiyangwa's eventual election as Zifa president.
A decade later, Chizuzu has returned with a similar challenge - this time through the SRC rather than the courts - saying he is defending constitutionalism within football governance.
"Zifa is a constitutional association that prides itself in its strict adherence to the constitution," he wrote. "This should be no different, unless there are other intentions not provided for in the statutes."
In two letters dated October 27, 2025 - one addressed to Zifa general secretary Yvonne Manwa and another to the Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) - Chizuzu said the current electoral roadmap "lacks legal standing" and should be withdrawn immediately.
"The Electoral Committee, without legal authority to so act, is imposing itself on members of Zifa without expressly satisfying itself if the member statutes stipulate the need for it to do so," wrote Chizuzu.
"The committee does not have the mandate to come up with the alleged roadmap, which has triggered this electoral process, as the conduct of elections for members of Zifa is an exclusive preserve of the member concerned."
Chizuzu cited Articles 1(1) and 1(2) of the Zifa Electoral Code, which he said limit the committee's authority to elections of the Zifa Executive Committee and independent commissions - not to regional leagues or affiliates unless expressly mandated.
He argued that no resolution was passed by Zifa Congress authorising the electoral committee to supervise regional elections this year, rendering the current process invalid.
"The issue of elections is done as per resolution of Congress, it being the supreme and constitutional authority on all Zifa issues," he said. "There is no resolution made at the last Congress in March 2025 to the effect that elections for members of Zifa be done as is being alleged herein."
Chizuzu also questioned the rationale for holding new elections before the end of the current executives' terms.
"Which assembly elected the Exco? When? And when did they lose their life to warrant this election in terms of the Constitution?" he asked. "The very same assembly which elected the current executive in office is now being subjected to elections, in violation of the Zifa statutes."
"I received Chizuzu's letter and I forwarded it to the electoral committee dealing with the elections," Manwa said. "It's not really my purview, so I stand guided by the electoral committee. I will only be able to comment after the response from the electoral committee."
In his letter to the SRC, Chizuzu appealed for regulatory oversight, warning that Zifa's ongoing process could breach provisions of the Sports and Recreation Act.
"I have acquainted myself with the respective statutes as read together with the Zifa statutes and now therefore wish to draw your attention to some constitutional breaches," he wrote. "Your attention to the matter is critical in terms of compliance and legality or lack thereof."
Chizuzu said he had already filed his nomination papers before the October 21 deadline but decided to raise the alarm after discovering what he called "a defective process."
This is not the first time the outspoken journalist has challenged Zifa's electoral procedures. In 2015, he filed an urgent High Court application seeking to stop Zifa polls, but Justice Joseph Musakwa dismissed the case for lack of urgency, ruling that Chizuzu had not exhausted internal remedies within football governance structures.
Back then, Chizuzu had contested the composition of the Zifa Electoral Committee, chaired by Justice Sello Nare, claiming some members were ineligible under the constitution. The court struck the matter off the roll, paving the way for Philip Chiyangwa's eventual election as Zifa president.
A decade later, Chizuzu has returned with a similar challenge - this time through the SRC rather than the courts - saying he is defending constitutionalism within football governance.
"Zifa is a constitutional association that prides itself in its strict adherence to the constitution," he wrote. "This should be no different, unless there are other intentions not provided for in the statutes."
Source - The Chronicle
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