Cuthbert Dube booted out

CUTHBERT DUBE’s sorry reign as Zifa president came to an end yesterday when Zifa councilors revoked his mandate at an emergency meeting held in Harare.

Makomborero Mutimukulu – Sports Editor

The axe also fell on board members John Phiri and Tawengwa Hara, who are largely seen as Dube loyalists, as 30 out of the 54 members who constitute the Zifa Council flexed their muscles.

The Zifa Council needs 19 members to form a quorum.

The fate of Zifa chief executive Jonathan Mashingaidze is set to be decided upon on Tuesday when the Zifa board, with Omega Sibanda as acting president, convenes an emergency meeting.

It is highly likely that Mashingaidze will be fired.

The error prone Zifa chief executive could not be booted out yesterday because Article 37 (3) of the association’s constitution states: “Only the president may propose the appointment or dismissal of the general secretary which shall be approved by the executive committee.” In their resolutions, the disgruntled Zifa councillors said: “The congress unanimously agreed to revoke the mandate of the president with immediate effect as per article 22 subsection (m) of the constitution.

“It was resolved that board member Tawengwa Hara should be revoked from the board, 27 members voted in favour, two members were not in favour and one member was indifferent.

“It was resolved that board member Fungai Chihuri should be revoked from the board, 30 members were in favour.”

Article 22 subsection (m) of the Zifa constitution states that the council has the authority of “revoking the mandate of one or a number of members of a body of ZIFA.

Amid growing accusations of financial misappropriation, the councillors resolved that a forensic audit of the Zifa books be instituted “as soon as possible.” They also resolved to engage the association’s ever growing list of creditors who are making a beeline to the courts and successfully applying for the attachment of Zifa property. Some of the resolutions from the emergency meeting reads:

“The board to engage the Government for financial assistance immediately through the Sports and Recreation Commission.

“The board should attend to corporate governance issues immediately.” Despite a shambolic first term in office, the Zifa councilors last year saw it fit to give Dube a second term in office. However, the alarming deterioration of the local game as evidenced by the Warriors’ exclusion from 2018 World Cup qualifiers for failure to pay former coach Valinhos his dues appears to have stung the councillors into action.

Most of the councillors interviewed yesterday claimed to have received phone calls “warning” them against pitching up for the crucial Indaba. The councillors said they were boosted by the backing from a high level Fifa delegation that was in the country last week to discuss the Zifa debt crisis.

The Fifa officials warned Dube and his gang against trying to stop the meeting highlighting that the disgruntled councillors had a right to meet as long as they formed a quorum and conducted their business in line with the Zifa constitution.

Meanwhile, Dube’s camp appeared shaken by the developments with the association’s spokesperson Xolisani Gwesela and legal representative Ralph Manganga declining to comment.

Efforts to contact Dube and Mashingaidze proved fruitless.