End of the road for Chiyangwa?

CHAOS is imminent at Zifa, with the football governing body facing a leadership crisis that threatens doom for the local game following yesterday's resignation of two of the federation's board members, Piraishe Mabhena and Felton Kamambo.

The resignations by the pair have left Zifa with only three executive members in president, Philip Chiyangwa, his vice, Omega Sibanda and board member (finance), Philemon Machana, short of the required quorum to run the body.

The executive was operating with five members, following the death of Edzai Kasinauyo last year, while the Premier Soccer League (PSL) and women football seats in the board, were yet been filled.

Chiyangwa was said to be hatching a plan to appoint PSL boss, Keni Mubaiwa and women's football chairperson, Rosemary Kanonge to avert the "embarrassment and keep his job".

According to the Zifa constitution, when 50% of the posts in the executive committee become vacant, the general secretary, (Joseph Mamutse) automatically takes over the reins and arranges for elections within two months.

The constitution allows the general secretary to invoke article 32.10, which says: "If more than 50% of the positions should become vacant, the general secretary shall convene an extraordinary congress within two months in order to elect a replacement for the remaining term of mandate under the supervision of the electoral committee according to Zifa electoral code."

Yesterday's developments effectively mean that Chiyangwa ceases to be the Zifa president.

He came into power at a congress held on December 5, 2015, which followed the decision to recall the entire executive committee then led by Cuthbert Dube.

The resignation means that more than 50% of the posts in the executive committee have become vacant.

Chiyangwa and his executive's term expired yesterday, but the Harare businessman had been trying to hold on to power, claiming he still has 22 months to go.

But yesterday's developments leave him constitutionally exposed and with very little options for him to manoeuvre.

Mabhena, in his resignation letter, seen by NewsDaySport, said he had decided to step down because the executive's term of office had expired.

"We can't flout simple corporate governance like that. One of the key duties of us as leaders was to call for elections and we didn't do that. For a lack of a better word, we slept on duty. That is dereliction of duty. We can't be seen to be ducking elections, that is unconstitutional. Let's do the right thing," he said in a later interview.

Mabhena said they had tried to engage Chiyangwa to "do the right thing", but was met with fierce resistance. "He has his own ways of doing things," he said.