Zifa sets key poll dates 

Source: Zifa sets key poll dates -Newsday Zimbabwe

The Zifa normalisation committee ,which is also the electoral committee ahead of the executive committee elections has set December 23 as the day they will announce the list of candidates that would have passed the eligibility test and will contest the January 25 polls.

They opened up nominations on November 22 and will close that process on December 11 to begin vetting.

Yesterday the normalisation committee held a press briefing where they promised a free and fair election where nine posts are up for grabs.

The Zifa councilors will elect the board president two deputies, of which at least one should be a woman as well as six other board members.

They will be joined on the board by the Premier Soccer League chairman as well as women’s football boss.

“We promise that this is going to be a free fair and credible election.  Following the opening of the nomination we intend to receive them until December 11 and we will do the vetting then on December 23 we will announce the list of candidates that will contest the elections. We will announce the list of candidates that would have passed the eligibility test,” said Nyasha Sanyamandwe of the normalisation committee.

Some of the candidates that have expressed interest in becoming Zifa president include PSL chairperson Farai Jere, Northern Region Division One Soccer League chairman Martin Kweza, Yadah’s Walter Magaya, former legislator Temba Mliswa and Nqobile Magwizi.

Some of the prerequisites include five years of football administration experience as well as five Ordinary Level passes.

The electoral committee has urged candidates who currently hold positions within Zifa structures to relinquish them ahead of the elections.

“Conflict of interest is not tolerated so those who hold office and want to be voted into the Zifa board should do the needful. They should hit the ground running and do the needful,” Sanyamandwe added.

Kweza has been hit by a lawsuit that is questioning his position as the Northern Region chairperson.

Mutasa said such matters do not concern them as they prefer football matters to be resolved within the organization and not the courts of law.

“As you are aware Fifa is not supportive of handling football matters in the courts.

Those cases should be handled within the Zifa judicial bodies. So as far as cases are being taken to the courts, it doesn’t concern us,” normalisation committee chairman Lincoln Mutasa said.

He said that the normalisation committee was barred from conducting elections for the grassroots as their mandate was only to organise elections for the executive committee.

“As the normalisation committee, we do not have the mandate to conduct elections from the bottom. Ours is just to make sure there is an executive committee in place and they are the ones who will then make sure that there are elections in other areas. We wanted to have elections from the bottom going up but we were told by Fifa that our mandate is conducting elections for the Zifa board only.”

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