emergency meeting called to probe Zifa Southern re...

emergency meeting called to probe Zifa Southern region accounts

Leadership crisis at Zifa Southern Region? | B-Metro

Hope Chizuzu

The Southern region clubs are meeting today, Monday December 19, in Bulawayo amid heightened fears that Andrew Tapela and his beleaguered executive could be recalled over a litany of charges including "eating" all the affiliation monies from clubs due to Zifa, The Page has established.

Investigations by the publication can reveal that clubs, most of which are angry that the executive, who sit as delegates to the Zifa Congress, have been absconding meetings, properly called, aligning themselves to the recalled Felton Kamambo, affecting the regional clubs.

Kamambo still harbours the thought that he will return to lead Zifa, something that is not going to happen and he still has some of his zealots, who also include the Central region, pampering his anthill ego.

It can also be revealed that indeed the Southern region, which is a member of Zifa, is not in good standing because they did not pay a single cent in affiliation fees. This is despite the fact that clubs paid their affiliations at the beginning of the year.

Saka mari yacho yakaendepi? Maybe Omega Sibanda has a better case to take to parliament, now.

This has emerged after Zifa failed to confirm the promotion of Hwange FC into the premier league winning the region's sole ticket. As if that was not bad enough, it has also emerged that Tapela and his executive were running a secret referees and coaches account, into which all monies were deposited and kept.

As in the famous USD740 270 scandal at Ecobank Borrowdale branch, Tapela, Tizirai Luphahla and Bryton Malandule operated another Ecobank account domiciled in Bulawayo, away from the eyes of Zifa.

The trio are signatories of the account and this particular account was never revealed to Zifa. But it is now empty. And the BDO Auditing eyes did not access it, maybe, we would have been told how they used the money to pay their workers and maids at home or helped Malandule relocate to rural Tsholotsho.

To their credit, Zifa acting CEO Xolisani Gwesela has since written a letter to the Tapela executive asking to be furnished with details of the said account, complete with statements and status. Tapela has until today to provide the details to Gwesela in Harare.

But The Page can confirm that the said account was emptied with Tapela and his crew withdrawing the last that remained of the money when traveling to Hwange to confer and confirm their winning of the southern region league.

While clubs are unhappy about the disrespect Tapela and executive have displayed, Zifa have enough grounds to immediately suspend Tapela and crew over the issue of operating a secret account into which referees and coaches’ monies are deposited.

Also a serious charge is that how has Malandule been allowed to run the account and be a signatory of the same yet he was not only recalled, but is also appearing in court in Harare this week over similar charges.

Why is Tapela keeping Malandule in the kitchen yet he caused the disappearance of some dish towels, the last time out? Why has it taken Zifa this long, yet interim Zifa boss Gift Banda is domiciled in the region?

In fact, Tapela has not remitted the affiliation fees since Kamambo took over and no one bothered with that. Why? Was it because of the 2018 election pact to vote in Kamambo and vote out Phil Chiyangwa?

Are we seeing a case of Banda protecting his friends? Or it is just a case of sleeping on duty while criminals rule the courts? While clubs can be applauded for being firm with individuals who are not actually members of Zifa, it must be said here and now that football is bigger than individuals.

In fact, it should be made clearer that according to the Zifa constitution, the Zifa executive led by Banda is not a member of the Zifa Congress. Even the regional executives are not members. Instead, it is the region that is a member, so Tapela cannot behave like he is a member when he sits in Congress.

He is simply doing so as a delegate and therefore is specifically carrying an instruction from the region, which comprises of clubs, to represent them. He is not the chief, the same way the Zifa executive is simply given the delegated powers to run the affairs of the FA on behalf of the Congress. They too, are not members of Zifa.

That we have witnessed the Exco behaving like they are the bosses with all the powers, is downright madness promoted by the weak Congress who are ordinarily the seat of power, but allow themselves to be bribed akin to the Jacob and Esau soup story in Genesis 25 v 34fff.

If the truth be told, the Southern region clubs must just advise Tapela and crew that their mandate is finished and we are not going to worry ourselves with you and then advise the secretariat to run the affairs of the region in the interim.

They should not worry themselves with people whose mandate finished in October - The Page