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OpenNormalisation Committee Firm On ZIFA Elections
The ZIFA Normalisation Committee remains resolute that the elections scheduled for January 25 will proceed as planned, despite court challenges by disqualified executive committee aspirants.
Benjani Mwaruwari, Gift Banda, and Walter Magaya, who were disqualified, have initiated legal proceedings to challenge their exclusion from the elections.
Mwaruwari and Banda have lodged a joint appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland, while Magaya’s bid is with the High Court in Harare.
The three men were deemed to have failed the Ethics and Integrity Test conducted by the Normalisation Committee, which also serves as the Electoral Committee at the behest of FIFA.
Their names, along with those of Farai Jere and Temba Mliswa, were excluded from the list made public by the Normalisation Committee on December 23.
Jere, a Member of Parliament, chose not to challenge his disqualification, but Mliswa is reportedly launching a separate challenge at the High Court, questioning the legitimacy of Congress to participate in the polls.
In a statement on Tuesday, ZIFA Normalisation Committee member Nyasha Sanyamandwe insisted that ZIFA is proceeding with preparations to stage the elections as scheduled on January 25. She said:
The ZIFA Normalisation Committee, acting in its capacity as the ZIFA Electoral Committee, acknowledges receipt of Walter Magaya’s court application for review, filed with the High Court of Zimbabwe, challenging his ineligibility to contest for the ZIFA presidency.
This ineligibility was communicated on 23 December 2024. The ZIFA Electoral Committee wishes to clarify that Mr Magaya’s decision to approach local courts is ultra vires the ZIFA Statutes.
While the application is framed as a request for review, it does not address any procedural irregularities but rather raises substantive issues that should have been directed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), as stipulated by the ZIFA Statutes.
Sanyamandwe said Magaya’s challenge should have followed the same path taken by Mwaruwari and Banda. She said:
In contrast, we commend both Benjani Mwaruwari and Gift Banda for their adherence to the established processes.
Their decision to challenge their ineligibility at CAS demonstrates a commitment to upholding the ZIFA Statutes.
We remain cooperative and committed to ensuring a transparent process and pledge to respect the CAS verdict when it is issued.
For clarity, we received the CAS application on Monday afternoon, 6 January 2025. The Electoral Committee is working closely with its external legal counsel to ensure an appropriate response within the stipulated dies inducia of two days.
We will monitor the CAS proceedings closely and engage as required. As it stands, the ZIFA elections will proceed as scheduled.
An 11-member executive committee, also known as the board, will be elected on January 25 and will have a four-year mandate to run the affairs of ZIFA.
The Normalisation Committee is set to announce the final list of candidates on January 15. On that same day, the Committee will also disclose the names of 78 delegates from ZIFA members who will be eligible to vote when Congress convenes at Rainbow Towers on January 25.
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