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Lovemore Dube Senior Sports Editor
THE Sport and Recreation Commission are said to be unhappy with football body Zifa after it emerged at the weekend that audits had exposed a lot of grey areas.

This puts the association’s debt at almost $8 million as it emerged that almost $800,000 may not have been factored in.

The sport regulating body are said to have expressed reservations over why the national football body was not complying with dictates of corporate governance as prescribed by the SRC. All national associations are expected to submit their audited accounts at the end of each year and also submit minutes of annual general meetings with resolutions and budgets that are made for the ensuing year.

Associations are also expected to indicate how much they would have received from international bodies. There are fears that some sports codes’ members could be turning grants from international federations to members’ own personal use.

A member who attended the meeting called by the Deputy Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Tabetha Kanengoni-Malinga in Harare at the weekend to look at problems bedevilling Zifa, disclosed that the SRC were concerned with the way Zifa were running the show.

This was after several interest groups made representations to her and a Parliamentary Portfolio Committee that heads should roll at Zifa. Zimbabwe under Dube has failed to qualify for several tournament finals and only sneaked through to the Chan, a less glamorous affair of national teams made of home based stars.

Groups have complained over the way Dube and his chief executive officer Jonathan Mashingaidze are running the show, alone. There have been complaints by other board members that they are sidelined on key issues that range from finances, national team trips and appointments.

The centre of power in Zimbabwe football no longer seems to lie in the assembly and board but in Dube and Mashingaidze. This has riled other members who were even sidelined for the failed 2017 Afcon bid.

How the chief executive officer could travel to neighbouring countries to court them to put a joint bid for the tournament was one incident that showed that some board members are being sidelined.

With Kanengoni-Malinga saying the SRC should investigate problems at Zifa and indicating that government might be forced to act to rescue the nation’s number one sport, Minister of Sport Andrew Langa surprised the nation at the weekend when he seemed to differ with his deputy. Langa is taking a soft stance on Zifa something that has left many questions unanswered as to what his real agenda is.

Zimbabweans seem unanimous that five years down the line Dube’s management seems out of depth and no solution seems in sight.

“Edward Siwela the SRC acting board chairman and two other members and the director-general Charles Nhemachena expressed shock at the state of Zifa accounts. They weren’t happy with why it would take years for Zifa to come up with audited books which wasn’t in line with set practices for such bodies.

“The state of Zifa finances is appalling. The figures that were given last year had so many grey areas and notable omissions and questions are now being asked about the Cuthbert Dube board’s sincerity,” said the source.

Many Zimbabweans are not buying the lack-of-finance story as the major problem with Zifa. They blame Mashingaidze who has been allowed a free reign by board president Dube.

Investigations into Zifa’s accounts reveal that as of April 11, 2014, the organisation owed creditors a total of $6.4 million.

On a list submitted to councillors, Norman Mapeza the former national team coach was owed $245,000 as item number 84. Surprisingly on the same list Mapeza item number 24, he is reflected as being owed a similar amount. This has raised eyebrows as to what the actual figure is.

Not reflected are sums owed to Sunday Chidzambwa, the late Benjamin Moyo, Rahman Gumbo, a Mrs Samkange, Madinda Ndlovu and several other service providers.

Chidzambwa, the former national team coach is owed over $50,000, Gumbo more than $100,000, Lazarus Mhurushomana, the former administration officer over $150,000. Technically he is still a Zifa employee as Zifa failed to discharge him properly from service.

Recently two other employees won their cases at the Labour Court with one of them Nicollette Dlamini-Moyo owed about $90,000 a case which has left Zifa with no furniture at all after property was attached.

Employees are said to be owed about $500,000, the SRC $108,381 up to April 11 last year, Dube more than $869,044 and Asiagate investigations $554,000.

There is also an issue of minutes pertaining to how decisions to borrow money or to engage in activities that require cash were made without the board or even assembly approval.

In the minutes Zimra were owed $161,431 a figure expected to be over $180,000 today.

A leading car rental firm is owed over $190,000 with CBZ still to get a sizeable amount of their $1,568,902.

Even referees and national associations on the continent are owed.

“It’s just not right what is happening at Zifa. Give us money we will still fail to manage those finances because the problem has to do with personnel more than money,” said a source close to the Zifa board.

Tom Saintifiet who had a short stint as Warriors coach is also owed a handsome $150,000 in damages.

“The loans were advanced to Zifa by Mussa, the national team manager and Dube the president. There are no loan agreements between Zifa and the stated parties and there are no written terms and conditions,” noted auditors Baker Tilly Gwatidzo on the 2011 books.

In the 2013 audit a bad picture was painted by Zifa who were criticised for credit purchases.

“Due to the worsening cash flow position, the organisation relies mainly on credit purchases with some liabilities unrecorded. In addition, the organisation has many pending litigations and the internal controls aren’t designed in a way that enables the identification of unrecorded liabilities,” the audit firm wrote.

The CBZ liability was against a residential property belonging to Dube which had an interest of 18 percent per annum and a penalty of 10 percent.