HARARE – The message “Don’t drink and drive” is constantly emphasised but in most cases, it falls onto deaf ears.
One such case involves Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) Human Resources (HR) manager Leonard Mhute.
Mhute, who recently replaced Alfonce Gwarinda, was involved in a road accident late last year while allegedly driving under the influence.
The company vehicle he was driving, a blue Honda Fit, was damaged beyond repair with an insurance company set to compensate ZIFA for the loss.
The incident occured at a time, Mhute, a former government employee, was still on probation at the country’s football federation.
When contacted for comment, ZIFA Secretary General Yvonne Mapika Manwa neither confirmed nor denied the incident.
She acknowledged receiving questions regarding the matter but chose not to respond by the time of publication.
“Your questions are noted and I will attend to them at the earliest opportunity,” said Manwa before she went quiet after numerous attempts seeking her comment.
Meanwhile, reached out for a comment, Mhute just like Manwa, neither confirmed nor denied.
He said: “Unfortunately, it’s not accurate as you put it. However I am not the spokesperson for the association.”
However, it remains to be seen what steps ZIFA will take in accordance with their company policy regarding the incident.
It comes after the ZIFA Normalisation Committee (NC) which was running ZIFA at the time together with Manwa, neglected procedure and swept the matter under the carpet.
However, the new ZIFA board led by president Nqobile Magwizi, is said to be taking the matter seriously with Mhute likely set to be charged for misconduct.
