THE Zimbabwe Football Association (Zifa) plunged into fresh problems yesterday after its official account with Steward Bank Limited was placed under a garnish order by Harare High Court judge Justice Priscilla Chigumba.
BY BLESSED MHLANGA
Justice Chigumba issued the order in favour of Arena Travel, who are seeking to recover $24 263,50 owed to them by Zifa, on July 26.
The football governing body had failed to pay for air tickets issued to the Young Warriors for a trip to Cameroon in 2015 for an All-Africa Games qualifier, prompting Arena Travel managing director Tendai Gutu to approach the courts for recourse.
Any money paid to Zifa into its Steward Bank account will now be immediately transferred to Arena Travel until the debt has been cleared.
“Any money due or becoming due to the judgment debtor by the garnishee (Steward Bank) in the form any money held, deposited or transferred into account number 1001172359 and account number 100142926, be and is hereby attached until the sum of $24 263,50 is paid in full,” part of the order reads.
Zifa, through its acting chief executive John Mamutse, had tried to wriggle out of the debt by alleging that Arena Travel had not provided a service to the Young Warriors.
However, lawyers representing Arena Travel, Gutu and Chikowero, successfully barred Zifa from tendering its opposition because its papers had been filed out of time.
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Out of caution, Arena Travel also provided the court with acknowledgments of debt letters signed by former Zifa chief executive Jonathan Mashingaidze and copied to Mamutse, who was then the chief operations officer.
Zifa will also pay costs of suit and collections commission for Gutu and Chikowero as part of the judgment.
