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Innocent Kurira, Sports Reporter
COSAFA will today elect a new executive at its General Assembly in Windhoek, Namibia.

Angola Football Federation president Artur Almeida de Silva is the only candidate nominated for the Cosafa presidency, while president of the Comoros Football Federation, Said Ali Said Athouman is the only nomination for vice-president.

There are eight nominees for the five ordinary executive committee members, of which one woman must be elected.

These are Timothy Shongwe (Eswatini), Khiba Mohoanyane (Lesotho), Andrianony Victorien (Madagascar), Walter Nyamilandu-Manda (Malawi), Faizal Sidat (Mozambique), Solandranja Mahamatova (Madagascar), Anastasia Tsichlas (South Africa) and Brenda Kunda (Zambia).

“The general assembly should have taken place in December 2021, but there was the Omicron Covid-19 variant outbreak which made it logistically impossible,” Cosafa general secretary Sue Destombes said.

Cosafa general secretary Sue Destombes

“The Namibian Football Association and the Namibian government have taken the lead to host this event, for which we are grateful.

“In respect of our statutes, it’s a general assembly, but we do have the added agenda item in there for the election of all of our office bearers, from the president right through to the ordinary members.

“We’ve got the position of president up for election, the position of the vice-president and we have five ordinary members to be elected this year

“This is ground-breaking, it’s an historic elective general assembly because it’s the first time that a woman must be elected as one of the ordinary members. At least one woman, but there could be more.”

Current Cosafa president Phillip Chiyangwa has indicated he will not stand for a second term.

Cosafa president Phillip Chiyangwa

He was elected president of Cosafa in December, 2016 after standing unopposed at the organisation’s annual meeting in South Africa.

He took over from Suketu Patel, who elected not to stand, after completing two terms in office.

It had also become clear, at the time of the polls Patel had lost the backing of the regional football leaders amid winds of change, which were sweeping across African football.

South African football boss, Danny Jordaan, had also entertained dreams of fighting for the Cosafa presidency but withdrew, just before the vote.

–@innocentskizoe