'Final decision rests with Chiyangwa,' says Wicknell

WARRIORS' benefactor, Wicknell Chivayo feels Zifa should have let former Warriors coach, Kalisto Pasuwa keep the vehicle that he bought for him to use during his tenure as national team coach.

Pasuwa had, until last week, been using the Toyota D4D V8 Double Cab vehicle that Chivayo bought, with the businessman also extending a similar gesture to the Mighty Warriors gaffer, Shadreck Mlauzi, who was using a Toyota Hilux.

The duo were last week forced to return the vehicles following the end of their tenures with the national men and women's teams, despite Chivayo's earlier comments that the cars were acquired for the coaches and not Zifa.

In an interview with Standardsport yesterday, Chivayo said although the final decision lay with Zifa president Philip Chiyangwa, he felt Pasuwa deserved to be given the car as his exit package.

"I bought the vehicles for Pasuwa and Mlauzi on Chiyangwa's request, so it's up to him to make a conclusion on who the owner of the vehicles is. I was never involved in the signing of their contract(s) and I'm not sure what his [Pasuwa] working conditions were.

"My advice to Dr PC [Chiyangwa] was, Pasuwa struggled and worked hard with the Warriors so a cheap $70 000 car as a retirement package would be appropriate in the circumstances.

"The final decision rests in his [Chiyangwa] hands because I'm not a foolish donor, who makes donations then comes back a year later and starts following up and or making decisions. If they decide not to give him, considering, Pasuwa is my brother in Christ, I will secretly buy him a cheaper

second-hand car so he doesn't go from a top-of-the-range V8 D4D auto to public transport," he said
Contacted for comment yesterday, Chiyangwa refused to talk about the ownership of the two, vehicles saying "they have both surrendered the cars to their owners so it's a closed chapter."

The latest controversy surrounding the ownership of the vehicles comes amid revelations that they were both registered to companies with links to Chiyangwa.

According to documents that are in the possession of Standardsport, Pasuwa's vehicle was registered on February 1, 2016 in the name of a limited company owned by Chiyangwa called Kilima Investments.

The other vehicle, which was being used by Mlauzi, was registered in the name of another limited company, Hansporte Investments, where one of the directors, Marshall Jonga, has strong links with Chiyangwa's businesses.

Pasuwa left his post as Warriors coach on Tuesday, having paid the price of his team's failure at the African Cup of Nations finals in Gabon.

The Warriors managed just a point from their 2-2 draw in the opening Group B game against Algeria before losing to Senegal who beat them 2-0 and Tunisia who handed them a 4-2 thrashing.

Those results ensured the Zifa high performance committee recommended that the gaffer be shown the exit door together with all, other national team coaches.