Zimbabwe Football Association to part ways with CEO Yvonne Mapika Manwa

HARARE – The Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) is set to part ways with its Chief Executive Officer, Yvonne Mapika Manwa, at the end of her contract in December 2025.

The development was confirmed by the association through an official statement which read:

“The Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) announces that Chief Executive Officer Ms Yvonne Manwa will conclude her tenure at the end of her contract in December 2025.

“Appointed by the ZIFA Normalisation Committee, Ms Manwa has provided steady and purposeful leadership at a pivotal time of reform and rebuilding for Zimbabwean football.

“Under her leadership, ZIFA recorded several major achievements including the development and adoption of a new ZIFA Constitution, the successful conduct of electoral processes that ushered in the current Executive Committee, the facilitation of a Memorandum of Understanding with the Sports and Recreation Commission, the comprehensive restaffing of the secretariat, the launch of the ZIFA Women’s Football Strategy (2025–28), and the seamless return of Zimbabwe to full international football participation — punctuated by the Senior Men’s National Team’s qualification for AFCON 2025.

“Having guided ZIFA through an extensive period of institutional renewal, Ms Manwa has elected to conclude her contract and pave the way for a successor who will build on this strong platform and lead Zimbabwean football into its next phase of growth.

“ZIFA expresses its sincere appreciation for her dedicated service, strategic insight and substantial contribution to the rebuilding of our game.

“We are encouraged that her expertise will remain within the football community. She will continue to support the sport in a consultancy capacity, focusing on women’s leadership and organisational development within the COSAFA region, drawing on the valuable experience gained at ZIFA.

“The ZIFA Executive Committee will soon begin the process of identifying and appointing a successor to ensure a smooth and effective transition. We invite the entire football fraternity and the nation to join us in recognising Ms Manwa’s service and wishing her every success in her future endeavours.”

Manwa was appointed in October last year.