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Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter
A few days before elections to choose regional football leaders from the country’s four Zifa regions, allegations of vote buying have surfaced in the Southern Region.

Musa Mandaza, Andrew Tapela, Bryton Malandule, Mehluli Thebe, Fiso Siziba, Tizirayi Luphahla, Tumediso Ndlovu and Mubita Mwanda will be seeking a mandate on Sunday to be in charge of football affairs in the region after Hwange-based Gaylord Madhunguza was nominated unopposed for the post of vice-chairman.

Southern Region chairman Mandaza is being challenged by former Highlanders secretary general Tapela, while the other six want to be part of the six-member board. They all have to convince the 28-member electorate that they’re the right people for the positions.

However, stunning allegations have emerged that an incumbent candidate has been phoning members of the electorate promising them $100 allowances, with those based outside Bulawayo set to be booked at an upmarket city hotel.

“What is worrying us is that all these costs will be paid by the association and that is abuse of Zifa funds. Our cellphones are on 24-hour ringing mode these days with people promising us heaven on earth yet this should not be about us but development of football. All we want is to see our football developing not to have power hungry individuals that only remember us during elections,” said a club representative.

Tapela was slapped with a suspension by the Zifa assembly in 2004 alongside six other councillors for fighting against the game’s leadership then. The others were Francis Zimunya, Admore Nyamuramba, Benedict Moyo, Pharaoh Jele, Leonard Nkala and Aaron Munautsi.

Sources said while Malandule was supposed to be in charge of the region’s finances, he has constantly been sidelined on a number of occasions when it comes to financial transactions because he is accused of aligning with a rival camp challenging the status quo.

Division One clubs are said to be up in arms over exorbitant players and technical staff’s licence fees, which were pegged at $20 and $50 per head respectively.

“If you do your calculations you will realise that clubs forked out $12 000 in licence fees alone since there are 16 clubs with 30 players each and five members of the technical team. Our licences are a mere laminated bond paper which is printed at the regional office,” said one club official.

Efforts to contact Mandaza and Ndlovu were fruitless as their mobile numbers were not reachable yesterday.