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Makhosini Hlongwane

Sikhumbuzo Moyo Senior Sports Reporter–
THE South African Football Association (Safa) is dispatching security agents to work with Zifa and local state security arms to get to the bottom of sensational match-fixing allegations that saw Zifa’s board member for development, Edzai Kasinauyo, being suspended. The Safa move comes at a time when the Zimbabwe government has ordered Zifa to report the matter to the police.

Safa spokesperson, Dominic Chimhavi, last night said they were extremely disturbed by the reports as an association with a zero tolerance to match-fixing or manipulation.

“As Safa, we established after the 2010 World Cup, a security cluster of well trained personnel to detect and deal with such vices. We are therefore dispatching our security details to Zimbabwe to work with Zifa and security agents there. We are liaising with the Zifa leadership and we must say that so far we are happy with the position taken by the Zifa executive committee,” said Chimhavi.

Zifa suspended Kasinauyo indefinitely over the match-fixing allegations that would have seen the Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Swaziland later this month being manipulated.

The cartel, whose mastermind is said to be an unnamed Italian, has since sucked in former Zifa chief executive officer Henrietta Rushwaya, Warriors’ assistant coach Nation Dube, former Dynamos players plying their trade in South Africa, George Chigova and Partson Jaure and an unnamed Zifa employee.

Besides the Warriors’ matches, also targeted were Absa Premiership matches in South Africa, hence the swift reaction by Safa.

Last night Sport and Recreation Minister Makhosini Hlongwane told the Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) to order Zifa to hand over the matter to law enforcement agents.

The call by Hlongwane for the matter to be reported to the police comes against the backdrop of plans by his ministry to convene a convention on match-fixing and other forms of cheating in sport and recreation in the next few days. Hlongwane said the convention is expected to trigger and install a robust conversation on match-fixing and other forms of cheating in sports within and without the sports and recreation movement.

“The convention should also come up with clear resolutions that inform the development of a national strategy on match-fixing. The government is calling upon all national sport associations to install an Early Warning System to detect match-fixing, doping and other forms of malady in sport. The government is further calling on all national sport associations to develop and put in place an integrity programme that is clearly explained to all stakeholders,” said Hlongwane.

He said the government strongly condemns the alleged match-fixing activities and will ensure that all those found guilty of match- fixing will be brought to book and that the law must take its course.

“The media is called upon to assist the sports and recreation movement as a whole to rid itself of unclean sport. The Minister of Sport and Recreation has had a discussion with the Attorney General and agreed on the need for comprehensive legislation on match- fixing, and that work on this important piece of legislation should begin in earnest,” Hlongwane said.