The Sunday Mail
Makomborero Mutimukulu
IT has taken almost an eternity but reality has finally dawned on Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Andrew Langa.
For almost two years now Langa has appeared divorced from reality, choosing to waffle and make empty threats as zifa president Cuthbert Dube and his comical sidekick, Jonathan Mashingaidze, peed on local football while occasionally telling the nation to go hang.
While his deputy Tabitha Kanengoni-Malinga sang the Dube must go tune along with the rest of the nation, Honourable Andrew Langa (MP) appeared to find honour in defending the indefensible, excusing the inexcusable.
Because of the support of Langa, perceived or real, Dube and Mashingaidze got away with treason and told anyone who dared to question them to go and stick it where the sun doesn’t shine.
However, the game has changed for the pair and their sympathisers in the zifa board — Fungai Chihuri, Twine Phiri and John Phiri — as Langa last week came down like a tonne of bricks on Dube and his team.
The Minister, whom sources say is beginning to feel the heat from his principals (read presidium) over the zifa mess, was explosive during an Indaba convened in his ministry’s boardroom on Thursday.
A miffed Langa, in a written speech exclusively obtained by this publication, told Dube and his clowns to jump before they are pushed out.
“It is now not a secret that the ZIFA ship is sinking and yet I do not see anyone jumping off the ship in order to save it.
“Your job from the day you took over office was to steady the ship and lead the nation to glory not to shame.
“It is high time ZIFA considers the nation’s plight and acknowledges it has let the nation down.
“On that note, I implore ZIFA to take responsibility, and voluntarily jump off ship before the powers who brought them on board take action,” Langa said during his opening address.
He wasn’t done.
“The recent ban from participating in the 2018 World Cup process (because of failing to pay former Warriors coach Valinhos) clearly shows that the football administration has clearly failed the nation.
“You knew of the threat but never bothered to bring it to Government attention until this embarrassing decision was taken against us.
“As Government and custodians of sport in the country, we will not allow poor administration anymore.
“It is against this background that my ministry is inquiring into the management of sport and football in particular is our focus,” said Langa.
When the written speech was done Langa fired on, describing Mashingaidze’s futile move to cherry pick board members who were supposed to come for the meeting as lunacy.
Mashingaidze, who was asked to leave the boardroom as deliberations deepened, had sort to sideline board members who are viewed as critical to Dube — Ben Gwarada, Omega Sibanda and Women’s football boss Miriam Sibanda — but the move backfired.
Langa urged Gwarada, the ZIFA board member responsible for finance, to use all his financial expertise to clear the association’s financial mess.
Gwarada has been sidelined by Dube and Mashingaidze and is yet to have sight of the ZIFA accounts, exactly a year after being elected into office.
“Cde Gwarada don’t take a back seat, don’t be sidelined.
“Do your job without fear because we cannot continue to have a situation whereby ZIFA assets are being seized because the association has failed to pay its creditors,” Langa reportedly told the travel executive.
ZIFA’s financial mess is worsening with each day with journeyman Belgian coach Tom Saintfiet, who won $150 000 in damages after taking his case to FIFA, pushing to be paid his dues.
It has been reported that Saintfiet’s case is one of nine cases that have a writs of execution against ZIFA, all totalling nearly $3 million.
