Chiyangwa gets 10/10

By Eddie Chikamhi

ZIFA president Philip Chiyangwa’s ambition to seek re-election for the country’s football hot seat got a huge boost yesterday after the association’s 10 provincial chairmen unanimously endorsed the Harare businessman’s candidature ahead of next year’s elections.

The Zifa provincial chairmen led by Mashonaland Central boss Gilbert Saika yesterday announced they will back the property mogul for a fresh term as they felt Chiyangwa, who served only two years after his predecessor Cuthbert Dube was pushed out of office midway through his four-year tenure, needed more time to bring sanity to the game.

Saika addressed a media conference yesterday flanked by representatives from all the 10 provinces who included Brian Austin Chishanga (Midlands), Nkosilathi Ncube (Matabeleland South), Kuziwa Nyabeze (Manicaland, David Mpuli (Mashonaland East), Nobioth Magwizi (Masvingo), Dennis Tshuma (Matabeleland North), Francis Ntuta (Bulawayo) and Derick Matapure (Mashonaland West).

Harare province was represented by Toddy Goni.

The provincial chairmen also requested the Zifa board to convene as a matter of urgency an Emergency General Meeting to discuss what they termed the “Zifa capture” report and the issues of financial impropriety that have been hogging the limelight in the past few weeks.

Saika said they had done extensive consultations with their constituencies to arrive at their resolutions.

“We are here as provincial chairmen to endorse the candidature of Dr Philip Chiyangwa for the elections in 2018 and we don’t expect any opposition to that.

“The second resolution we have made is that we are here to request the president to hold as soon as possible an EGM to discuss the Zifa capture report.

“We want the president to bring sanity to our local football so that we can attract more sponsors. There were a lot of things which were happening in the past in terms of financials and we want an EGM so that we can discuss that,” said Saika.

Zifa is at crossroads as they face fresh polls next year to elect new officials to carry the association forward following the expiry of Chiyangwa led committee’s tenure.

Chiyangwa has been in the office since December 5, 2015 when he resoundingly won the elections ahead of Trevor Carelse Juul, Leslie Gwindi and James Takavada.

The poll was conducted to fill the void left by the departure of Dube who had been booted out by the councillors for gross mismanagement that led the association to be declared insolvent after incurring a massive $7m debt.

When he assumed office, Chiyangwa indicated that he would not go beyond the two years but has since reversed the decision.

Saika said the announcement by the chairmen that they would back Chiyangwa did not mean they were blocking prospective candidates from expressing their desire from participating in the association’s presidential elections.

“We as the provincial chairpersons observe the democracy of the country. When we say we don’t expect any opposition, this is an expectation from ourselves. It’s not to say we are shutting anybody out. It’s our democratic right to endorse Dr Chiyangwa. Anybody who also wants to contest should feel free,” said Saika.

“Yes we knew he said he would not stand for another election but now we think continuity is very important. The long and short of it is that circumstances do change.

“There are some projects that he started and it is our belief that he should not abandon the ship midway. It’s better for him to continue than to bring in another person and we seem like we are starting again.

“So we strongly feel that for the sake of progress we think he should continue what he started so that we may reap the benefits. If somebody is coming after, say after another five years or so, it will have given him some ample time to finish what he started,” said Saika.

Firebrand Midlands chairman Chishanga also weighed in and asked Zifa to convene the EGM as a matter of urgency to discuss the emerging details of financial mismanagement raised by the audit of the association’s 2011 audit.

The chairmen claimed that the association was ‘captured’ by a few individuals between 2010 and 2014 as crucial information was hidden from them until Zifa was rendered dysfunctional.

Chishanga said they needed the EGM to take place before they can hold the AGM. The AGM, which is also expected to set the election road map, has since been postponed to next year after it failed to take place last weekend because of technicalities.

The chairmen said they have been awakened by reports of poor management and the huge amounts of money that went missing in the last few years.

“I have in my possession the audited reports of 2011 from Baker Tilly Gwatidzo. Quite honestly these audited statements were not presented to Zifa council in this form that they are.

“We have just looked at this now and we can see that there is a lot that needs discussion, there is a lot of money that went missing at Zifa and we want to talk about this at congress level.

“That is why we are calling for an EMG. This meeting should have only one agenda, that is, to set the record straight.

There is a lot of money missing at Zifa and a lot of other forms of mismanagement that took place in the past.

So we have to set the record straight, it’s not chasing after individuals,” said Chishanga. The Chronicle