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Philip Chiyangwa

Eddie Chikamhi Sports Reporter
ZIFA president Philip Chiyangwa yesterday said the association will soon flight adverts in newspapers in their search for a new chief executive after the board decided to end their marriage with Jonathan Mashingaidze.

Mashingaidze, who has been in and out of the ZIFA structures since the turn of the millennium, was given the boot to end his second stint as chief executive following a board meeting to review his contract which had expired on April 1.

According to Chiyangwa, who chaired the meeting, the majority of the members voted against the renewal of the contract and opted to put Mashingaidze on early retirement.

The association’s operations manager Joseph Mamutse, who has often held office in an acting capacity, was installed as acting chief executive until a substantive leader of the secretariat at 53 Livingstone Avenue has been found.

“His contract has expired so it was up to the board to sit down and look at it since he had showed willingness to continue working with the association.

“The matter was put to a vote and the outcome was that his contract will not be renewed. That’s the decision that was made and I cannot comment much on that.

“You see with this board, as far as I am concerned, most of the people in this board are former councillors who are well-versed with how business has been run at ZIFA for a long time. Whatever they decide we have to respect it.

“So we will advertise for this post in the newspapers in the next few weeks. But as of now, Mamutse will assume the role of acting general secretary with immediate effect,” said Chiyangwa.

He also revealed that ZIFA will hold an extraordinary general meeting on June 4 when most of the issues bedevilling the association will be debated.

The association is currently seized with a match-fixing scandal that has sucked in former chief executive Henrietta Rushwaya, suspended board member Edzai Kasinauyo and former Warriors coaches Ian Gorowa and Nation Dube.

Rushwaya appeared in court yesterday, accused of bribery, Kasinauyo is expected in court today and — according to the court records — Dube and Gorowa are the other accomplices.

Mashingaidze, as head of secretariat, has often been fingered as the source behind most of the ills at the association and many had correctly predicted he will not last the distance with the coming in of a new board.

He has been the ZIFA chief executive since 2010 when he replaced Rushwaya under the Cuthbert Dube-led board.

However, this is not the first time Mashingaidze has waved goodbye to the association as in 2006, after serving almost two years as chief executive, he was sacked by the Wellington Nyatanga executive for his alleged role in a World Cup tickets scandal.

Maimba Mapuranga, an outspoken critic of the previous executive, who also once worked as liaison officer during the Dube era, yesterday said the ZIFA board has taken the right decision.

“Finally sense has prevailed at ZIFA! Jonathan Mashingaidze fired from ZIFA with immediate effect! Hopefully ZIFA can build on this and appoint well for the sake of our football! #MashingaidzeDisappear?!” he said on his Facebook page.

Another ex-ZIFA liaison officer Matthias Kufandirimbwa also believes it was going to be difficult for the new executive to execute their mandate with Mashingaidze in the mix.

“I think this is good riddance of bad rubbish. Mashingaidze failed on his key mandate, that is to make ZIFA a viable organisation which focuses on its core business of football.

“He failed to establish meaningful partnerships with the corporate world and the key stakeholders, choosing instead to involve himself in senseless football politics.

“We now need a new broom, someone who can clean football from all that mess. Our football needs a fresh, business-like approach. Well done to the board,” said Kufandirimbwa.