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Musa Mandaza

Ricky Zililo Senior Sports Reporter
SOUTHERN Region clubs and affiliates of the Zifa Bulawayo Metropolitan Province, which include the junior league and area zones, will meet on July 2 for an appraisal meeting on the formation of the National Football Association of Zimbabwe (Nafaz).

Southern Region chairman Musa Mandaza said the meeting is aimed at addressing confusion surrounding the ongoing dissolution of Zifa and formation of Nafaz.

Zifa, which is choking in debt close to $7 million, moved to dissolve the association citing bankruptcy at an extraordinary general meeting held on June 4.

The immediate birth of Nafaz was seen as a move by the Philip Chiyangwa-led executive to start on a fresh slate.

Chiyangwa informed Zifa councillors at the July 4 meeting that he couldn’t continue with an association laden with debts, saying he had come in to advance football and not deal with debts.

“From time to time we have briefings with the affiliates and the July 2 meeting is meant to appraise our members on the developments that have seen the birth of Nafaz. They need to hear everything from the horse’s mouth on what transpired, leading to the formation of Nafaz instead of relying on the media. They can’t stay in the dark forever and I believe by the time we go for the July 2 meeting, a lot would have happened,” said Mandaza.

The combined extraordinary general meeting of the Southern Region Soccer League, Bulawayo Province and Junior League will be held at Homestead Conference Centre along George Silundika Street in Bulawayo.

Mandaza declined to comment on the constitution.

Our sister paper the Sunday News reported that some Southern Region affiliates are set to demand new elections when they meet on July 2, as they are unhappy that they were not consulted over the process leading to the dissolution of Zifa, alleging the association’s constitution was not followed.

“From what we are hearing, Nafaz gave our (Southern Region) executive a new four-year term of office, so it would only be fair that we have elections and select new representatives. The agenda of the (July 2) meeting simply says dissolution of Zifa, but we feel they should have added elections since this is a new organisation,” said the official.

Another administrator said the dissolutions should have kicked off from lower structures with elections being held at all Nafaz bodies and not just at board level.

“We do not even know who gave them the mandate to vote on our behalf at the elections. If we are starting afresh, then it should have been done from the bottom,” he said.

Responding to these issues, Mandaza said: “We don’t want to address national things because we’re only but a small fraction of the bigger cake. National matters will be addressed by the presidium, Chiyangwa and (vice-president) Omega Sibanda. As a region, we must move together step by step and mustn’t lose focus. Our focus should be playing football; making sure that the teams that go into the league stay there for as long as possible.”