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Musa Mandaza

Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Acting Sports Editor
EYEBROWS have been raised over a “gift” of donated soccer balls by the Zifa Southern Region leadership to football clubs just a few months before elections.

The soccer balls were given to the four football regions by Zifa president Phillip Chiyangwa for onward transmission to grassroots clubs but it has since emerged that in the Southern Region, the “package” was allegedly kept for distribution at the opportune time by those in office with more than six clubs having so far received the soccer balls. This has sparked vote-buying fears.

“The balls were supposed to be given to grassroots clubs or even used by regional or provincial select teams as a way of empowering those clubs but the leadership kept those balls in office and they are now using them as a campaign tool to buy votes ahead of elections in a few months time,” said a well placed source.

This publication has it on good authority that clubs that were present during a poorly attended mid year meeting in Hwange which include Hwange, ZPC (Hwange), Motomoto, Turk Mine, Mosi Rovers and CIWU were beneficiaries.

“It’s worrying that equipment that is meant to benefit underprivileged clubs which even include our women folk will not get anything simply because people want to stay in power at all costs. We also understand that some of the balls were sold although we don’t have proof of those claims,” said the source.

Efforts to get hold of the regional chairman Musa Mandaza were fruitless as his mobile phone was not reachable last night.