ZIFA president Cuthbert Dube’s benevolence has come back to haunt him after the Sheriff of the High Court of Zimbabwe raided his Mount Pleasant home yesterday, attaching property worth over $100 000.
BY TAWANDA TAFIRENYIKA
The property was attached over a debt in which Dube offered himself as guarantor in a matter where Zifa owes hundreds of thousands of dollars to Pandhari Lodge. The Warriors used to camp at Pandhari Lodge in 2013, but Zifa failed to settle the debt which began to accumulate, culminating in the Zifa president making an undertaking to settle it.
The Sheriff of Zimbabwe had to enlist the services of a locksmith to break into the premises as they failed to gain entry, with Dube’s security team refusing to open the doors to his house in Groombridge.
They took away property which included a Toyota Land Cruiser, Range Rover, VW GTI Golf and a Mini Cooper.
The sheriff also attached household property including refrigerators, plasma television sets and a set of leather sofas, among a host of other things. However, Zifa chief executive Jonathan Mashingaidze said it was surprising that the Sheriff went on to attach the property when the debt was being cleared through a payment plan.
“He is paying and it’s surprising that they just went ahead and attached the property,” was all Mashingaidze could say.
Dube has been solely responsible for funding national team assignments and paying salaries of the secretariat as Zifa continues to face a serious cash squeeze and battling to clear a debt which now stands at over $5 million.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
The Zifa boss was overthrown by the Zifa assembly alongside two board members, Fungai Chihuri and Tavenga Hara, following an extraordinary meeting held in Harare last week on Saturday.
However, world soccer governing body Fifa overturned the decision, ruling the indaba by the councillors to oust Dube was null and void. Fifa then directed Zifa to hold an extraordinary meeting of their councillors by June 16 .
The world soccer governing body was responding to a letter sent by Dube on the developments in Zimbabwean football soon after the councillors announced they had booted him from office.
“We have taken note of the different events which led to the current situation in Zifa. According to article 28 of the constitution, the executive committee of Zifa has to convene an extraordinary congress within three months if one-third of the members ask(s) for it,” Fifa wrote.
“Since the request was made on March 16 2015, the three-month time lapse has not been completed yet, the deadline being June 16 2015. In addition, the extraordinary congress should have been convened by the secretary-general and chaired by the president, which was not the case.
“Therefore, the conditions set in the Zifa constitution have not been met and the alleged extraordinary congress of May 17 2015 is thus considered null and void. Pursuant to article 17 paragraph 3 of the Fifa Statutes, any member’s bodies that have been elected or appointed by the member shall not be recognised by Fifa.
“Furthermore, article 17 paragraph 4 of the Fifa statutes underlines that decisions passed by bodies that have not been elected or appointed by the member association shall not be recognised by Fifa.”
Fifa recommended that an extraordinary meeting be held by June 16 to comply with the Zifa constitution.
“However, given the fact that the Zifa executive committee has to convene an extraordinary general assembly within three month(s), if one-third of its members makes the request, Fifa recommends that Zifa holds the extraordinary congress by June 16 2015 at the latest in order to comply with the Zifa constitution,” Fifa said in the statement responding to questions from NewsDay.
