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Sports Reporter
ASHFORD MAMELODI’S impartiality in resolving the ZIFA saga is being questioned amid revelations that the FIFA official was a guest of Cuthbert Dube, at his house in Groombridge, on the eve of the March 2010 elections. The poll brought the Harare business executive into office as the Association president. Dube was engaged in a battle against former Premier Soccer League and Dynamos secretary-general, Leslie Gwindi, for the ZIFA presidency, which he won easily to begin his first term as leader of domestic football.

Mamelodi, as the FIFA development officer for Southern and Eastern Africa, was sent by the world football governing body to supervise the elections but, astonishingly, was a guest of Dube until in the early hours of the day of the election at a time when he was supposed to be a neutral player in the battle.

A Harare company, Forest Security, was hired by ZIFA to provide a vehicle and a driver for Mamelodi to use during his stay in Harare as the FIFA representative who was supervising those elections.

The company provided a Toyota Avensis, for the job, while Joel Sweswe, was the driver of that vehicle for the assignment.

The Herald has established that Sweswe was asked to drive Mamelodi to Dube’s residence, on the night before the elections, something which analysts would feel compromised his duties given that he was supposed to treat both candidates in a fair manner.

Mamelodi dined with Dube and did not leave the Harare business executive’s residence until about 2.30am, just hours before the elections went underway, in which Dube romped to a crushing win over Gwindi.

Forest Security was duly paid $750 for their services.

“In 2010 my company Forest Security (Pvt) Ltd was engaged by ZIFA, represented by Ms (Henrietta) Rushwaya (then ZIFA chief executive) to drive Ashford Mamelodi during the duration of (the) ZIFA election period,” the company’s managing director, Brian Kashangura, told The Herald.

“On the night before elections our driver Mr Joel Sweswe drove Mr Mamelodi to Mr Cuthbert Dube for dinner and their meeting ended at about 02.30 am.

“He (Sweswe) subsquently also drove him to Dube’s house on three (other) occasions after (the) elections. Forest Security was paid fully by ZIFA for its services totalling $750.

“The vehicle used was a Toyota Avenis.”

The latest revelations will not only justify concerns, among some ZIFA Councillors, that Mamelodi appears to be fighting in Dube’s corner, rather than playing the role of neutral observer, in the on-going saga where some Councillors want to revoke the authority of the ZIFA Board from running the domestic game.

Gwindi will, no doubt, feel betrayed, too, by a FIFA system that he believed supported the cause of both candidates, who were fighting for the ZIFA presidency back in 2010, instead of just one of the candidates.

On Saturday, Mamelodi vetoed the process by the ZIFA Councillors when they tried to revoke the mandate of Dube from leading them.

“The important thing is to do things as per the constitution,” Mamelodi told a media conference held after that indaba.

“Because if we (do things) outside the constitution it just keeps us going around in circles so the proper notice should be put forward and then deliberated and then acted upon. We cannot continue to be doing the wrong things.

“It was incumbent upon the sponsors of that item (revoking Dube’s authority) to actually insist that it is filed on time. If it’s not on the agenda and all we have got are documents that suggest otherwise, this is where the technicality starts and I think there was a good understanding of that from the Assembly.”

Mamelodi said he was amazed by how Dube and his leadership have kept the game going, in an environment where they are weighed down by a huge debt.

“I’m shocked that they have lasted this long, in this environment, they are doing their absolute best, you are fighting fire with fire, litigation, it’s absolutely amazing,” said Mamelodi.

“Unless somebody is saying . . . there would be some Father Christmas who will wipe away the deficit.

I would have loved to see this team operate on zero.

“You need to give a team like these he resources then you can say ‘no’ Dube you are useless, you are not functioning, if they got resources, but on a deficit, please.”

Mamelodi also appeared to suggest that the expulsion of Zimbabwe from the 2018 FIFA World Cup was a blessing in disguise because the Association did not have the funds to ensure that the Warriors would fulfil those fixtures.

“I don’t know if the World Cup is a priority, I know it’s prestigious to be amongst (the participants),” said Mamelodi.

“But my question, which should be answered by somebody in this country, is would you have honoured those fixtures?

“Because the costs are not only when you are away, even at home, because Cote d’Ivoire (women’s national team) could have come next week (this week) and already the president (Dube) was saying there was no money.

“For me, what concerns me president, people don’t seem to understand the extent to which ZIFA is in debt. If ZIFA was a corporate, they would have ceased operating, they have been stopped by law.

“I like CHAN, I like AFCON, because there Zimbabwe has a good chance to go to the finals, they have done it before, you know what I mean, there is a reason to pursue those (competitions) even under limited circumstances.

“But I don’t know (why) there is so much (noise) about the World Cup, you know, they could have been drawn in Russia today and the next thing you guys (media) would have been on them for not honouring the fixtures because the ladies team didn’t go to Cote d’Ivoire.”