Zifa election season starts Zifa-house

Petros Kausiyo Deputy Sports Editor
ZIFA’S election machine moved a gear up yesterday with the association’s new electoral committee holding their maiden indaba after which they revealed that they will roll-out an election roadmap in two weeks.

The electoral committee, to be chaired by former Premier Soccer League disciplinary committee member Vusilizwe Vuma, effectively takes over all the processes related to the staging of the ZIFA polls which begin with elections at Area Zones.

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

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

Social scientist Sumbureru is the only woman on the committee, which has members of various diverse backgrounds.

In line with the provisions of the ZIFA constitution, the association’s executive appointed the chairman and his deputy as well as the members of the electoral committee with the nine-member crew also being officially commissioned by the soccer mother body’s vice-president Omega Sibanda shortly before they went into their closed door indaba.

Vuma then emerged from their inaugural meeting to issue a brief statement in which he indicated that they had begun work on the ZIFA election roadmap which will be violated in two weeks’ time.

“The Zimbabwe Football Association Electoral Committee, chaired by myself, met today and the meeting deliberated on a roadmap and we are going to finalise this roadmap in two weeks and thereafter elections will start from the Area zones up to the executive committee.

“This is a mammoth task that we are going to be holding and we will be updating the nation on a regular basis as we go along,’’ Vuma said.

Vuma declined to field questions, arguing that yesterday’s indaba was their first full meeting which followed their April 30 induction.

Yesterday’s meeting also set in motion the possible timelines for each of the stages of the elections that include, timelines.

The electoral committee, whose appointment by the executive committee was ratified by the ZIFA Congress at the annual meeting on February 17, had just like the board, been waiting for the guidelines from FIFA, which the association had sought.

ZIFA councillors had at the annual meting sought an amendment to Article 4 (3) of the Electoral code which deals with the timeframe by which an electoral committee should commence work once installed by Congress.

“The ZIFA Congress, at which the electoral committee is installed, shall take place at least six months before the elective congress,’’ reads the Article.

The ZIFA councillors, acting on a motion proposed by Central region chairman Stanley Chapeta, however, sought to have to have that six-month period brought forward to two weeks, prompting a resolution to seek FIFA guidance on the move.

FIFA have, however, since confirmed the proposal by ZIFA with the world football body reaffirming that the current executive would remain in charge until the electoral process is over.

That affirmation by FIFA also quashed a rebellion by a coalition of former presidents, who had written to the Zurich-based body claiming that there was leadership vacuum in Zimbabwean football that had left the game in a crisis.

But, with the electoral committee indicating that the timelines will be rolled after a fortnight, the ZIFA election season is expected to get into full throttle from next month.

Meanwhile, ZIFA also have up set an appeals committee that will deal with any challenges pertaining to the elections and that body is chaired by retired High Court Judge Justice Moses Chinhengo with Tafadzwa Mazonde as his deputy and seasoned football administrator Tonderai Choga a committee member.

ZIFA Electoral Committee:

Vusilizwe Vuma (chairperson), Tinashe Tanyanyiwa (vice-chairperson), Sarah Sumbureru, Shephered Chamunorwa, Liberty Mcijo, Chenaimoyo Gumiro, Reginald Chidawanyika, Charles Vhudzi, Jonathan Chivige (substitute member).

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