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Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
ON a day that the nation marked the sixth anniversary of the death of the great Adam Ndlovu, Zifa councillors ushered in a new board.

Ndlovu passed away on December 16, 2012, in a road accident and as the nation remembered one of its great football warriors, Zifa councillors voted in a new executive.

Out of the three Zifa executive members, Phillip Chiyangwa (president), Omega Sibanda (vice-president) and Phillemon Machana (board member-finance) that had been voted into office in 2015 to complete the term of office of Cuthbert Dube’s led board, only Machana retained his board seat.

Felton Kamambo and Gift Banda posted resounding wins to topple Chiyangwa and Sibanda respectively.

Kamambo got 35 votes against Chiyangwa’s 24.

Banda, who beat Sibanda, former Sparrows owner Mandla Moyo and Musa Mandaza to the Zifa Southern Region chairman’s post in 2010, prevailed 37-22.

“We’ve all won. It’s not Kamambo who won, but we’ve all won as Zimbabwe. The honeymoon is over; we need to deliver what we promised to the football family.

We need to pull our socks and do our best,” said Kamambo.

“As for my board, I’ve worked with some of them and if I look at the faces, this board is made from heaven. I don’t doubt that they will deliver as far as I’m concerned, there’s no room for failure, there’s no room to relax. I’m a man who wants to achieve results. I’m a man who wants to make a name in Zimbabwe and I can only make it with this opportunity that I’ve been given.

“The vote that council has done today; there were only 60 councillors, but they’ve done so on behalf of the millions. Mine were not just promises, we’ll definitely achieve our goals,” he said.

Kamambo said his top priority was to move Zifa out of Chiyangwa’s premises that have housed the association’s offices for the last two years.

He said they will also attend to the Zifa debt, which has ballooned to $8 million contrary to the former executive’s public comments that they’d reduced the bill.

Banda, whose manifesto touched on getting the Fifa grants to the grassroots and upholding constitutional ethos, said they will also work on unifying the football family.

“The football family is fractured and it is our duty to unify football people. People were being unconstitutionally suspended and this will be a thing of the past as we will stick to the constitution and serve football based on the football bible, our constitution,” said Banda.

“The councillors have spoken and from these results it is clear testimony that the councillors want to serve football and now this is the time to make sure that football is selflessly served. I’ve no doubt that this board will take our football to greater heights, work on cleansing the image of the battered association and regain corporate confidence.

“Once we meet, I’m sure with the combination of great minds that have been entrusted to lead our football, we will be able to see tangible results and mend relations with most stakeholders.”

The former Njube Sundowns boss challenged the media to effectively play its role in football development.

“We want the media to do their work without fear or favour. No one will be victimised for reporting the truth and if we are not doing things right, correct us and inform the nation where we would have erred and when we do good, give us credit. We’re hoping to have good relations with the media and other stakeholders so that collectively we take Zimbabwean football to greater heights,” Banda said.

Results for the other four contested board seats saw Manica Diamonds FC official, Sugar Chagonda and Machana polling 41 votes, with Chamu Chiwanza getting 38 and Southern Region’s Bryton Malandule polling 35 to secure places in the executive committee.

Former Chicken Inn treasurer, Mlungisi Moyo and Zifa Central Region chairman Stanley Chapeta fell short, polling 33 and 34 votes respectively.

— @ZililoR