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Petros Kausiyo Deputy Sports Editor
ZIFA’S Electoral Committee have insisted they will continue to be thorough in the manner they will conduct elections for the Association’s affiliates as part of efforts to uphold integrity in the national game.

The committee, dismissed by some critics and hawks who tried to question their integrity, have shamed those who attempted to create an impression they were just a bunch of an extension of the leadership.

Instead, chairman Vulisizwe Vuma and his crew, mandated to conduct elections in terms of the FIFA-approved roadmap, exhibited their professionalism over the weekend when they halted polls for the Premier Soccer League and Beach Soccer after citing irregularities.

CAPS United president Farai Jere was set to be officially unveiled as the new PSL chairman at the top-flight body’s meeting in Harare on Saturday. Jere had been unopposed at the close of the PSL nominations.

But to their eternal credit, Vuma and his committee noted an anomaly in the manner in which the CAPS United boss had been nominated and withheld the electoral process.

Vuma also cited some irregularities in Beach Soccer where business executives Marshal Jonga and incumbent Joseph Musariri were due to battle it out.

The committee then issued a statement at the end of the weekend meetings, outlining how the process had gone about.

“The elections for the Executive Committee Members of Beach Soccer have been postponed to a date to be advised because the Electoral Committee determined that there was no properly constituted electoral college.

“The elections for the chairperson of the Premier Soccer League have been cancelled due to an irregularity that rendered the nomination process null and                                                                      void.

“The Electoral Committee has since decreed that the nomination process be re-opened on the 16th of July, 2018 and close on the 3rd of August, 2018. The election will now take place on the 9th of September, 2018,” read the statement.

Vuma last night reiterated that his committee would not waver in ensuring ZIFA elections from the smallest of affiliates to the board were a credible exercise.

The electoral committee chairman, a lawyer by profession who served nine years in the trenches of the PSL disciplinary committee structures between 2008 and 2017, leads a nine-member team that includes his deputy Tinashe Tanyanyiwa, Sara Sumbureru, Charles Vhudzi, Shepherd Chamunorwa, Chenaimoyo Gumiro, Jonathan Chibvige, Liberty Mcijo and Reginald Chidawanyika.

ZIFA chief executive, Joseph Mamutse, is the secretary of the committee as enshrined in Article 5(3) of the association’s Electoral Code.

“We have a mandate to do things professionally,” said Vuma.

“On the PSL issue the candidate (Jere) had just one member (PSL) who had nominated him hence he could not sail through, but if there had been two on the day there would have been no problems.

“Women and Futsal elections were okay and they were all happy.

“Beach Soccer still has a challenge . . . they say nothing has been happening there and we just need more time to establish the electoral college for that affiliate.

“We do not want to rush things and then have a contested process so we have to be thorough from the start to the top. So, for now, we are focussing on the Area Zones elections which are for the coming weekend,” Vuma said.

Jere also took last Saturday’s developments in his stride and remains confident that he will still be handed the mandate to become the Premiership’s next substantive chairman.

The CAPS United boss said he was aware that there could be some contestants coming on board following the re-opening of the nomination process.

There have been indications that FC Platinum chairman Evans Mtombeni and Triangle United’s Lovemore Matikinyidze could yet throw their names into the hat.