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Miriam Sibanda

Sports Reporter
BUTHO Ngwenya, who claims to be a member of the Southern Region Women’s Football board, has denied allegations that he signed on behalf of someone a petition to fire national chairperson Miriam  Sibanda.He was part of a group that met at the Zifa Village on Monday and kicked Miriam Sibanda, board members Ben Mamoshe and Edwin Magosongwe out of office through a petition.

Ngwenya allegedly signed the petition on behalf of Matabeleland South delegate Samukele Sibanda who had refused to endorse the move to unseat the trio.

“The issue of Samukele Sibanda who claims I signed the petition on her behalf isn’t true. When we got at the Zifa Village, the petition was read to us and she refused to sign. In the morning (Tuesday), I was asked together with a Hove, a representative of Cowdray Park Queens and Samukele’s cousin Sizo Dube who was representing Bulawayo to convince her (Samukele). The four of us went into a room and Samukele consulted someone through her mobile phone and she was done, she told her cousin to sign it on her behalf which Dube did,” said Ngwenya.

Ngwenya said the process used to axe  Miriam and the others was flawed as one of the petition signatures was fraudulently obtained.

“I did witness her cousin signing for Samukele because they knew each other. However other people who were outside the room didn’t know that Dube signed on behalf of Samukele,” said Ngwenya.

However Hove, who declined to give his first name, distanced himself from Ngwenya’s claim that he was present when Samukele instructed Dube to sign on her behalf.

“Ngwenya is lying. I never went into a room to convince anyone to sign a petition. Surely, as a newly promoted club how could I have persuaded someone to sign a petition which I didn’t sign?” asked Hove, while vehemently denying links to Ngwenya.

Ngwenya defended his trip to Harare saying he is a member of the Southern Region Women’s Football who was co-opted into the executive last year.

He is also accused of receiving $600 from Zifa to transport members to Harare for the meeting, breaking from the norm where members find their own way to the capital.

“I’m a former coach of Railstars Queens and I’m a former manager who was co-opted by the Southern Region,” he said.

“About the issue of the $600 said to have been given to me, I never got it. We went to Harare using our own money and after the meeting Zifa, through administrator Theresa Maguraushe, gave us between $30 and  $35 for transport and $5 incidental allowance,” he said.