Sinokubonga Nkala
Lovemore Dube, lovemore.dube@chronicle.co.zw
THE Zifa Electoral Committee has announced that the deadline for submission of nomination papers for the January 25 board elections is today.
The electoral committee also revealed that other qualifications like Independent Examining Board, Grade 11, Cambridge GCE, and Matric would be accepted according to Article 38 Paragraph 7, which states that the president and the two vice-presidents of the executive committee must have passed a minimum of five O-Level subjects, or any equivalent educational level.
The committee stated candidates must have at least five members of the association nominate them.
As the deadline approaches, the Zifa office in Harare is expected to be a bustling hub, with over 60 candidates ready to compete in the highly anticipated election that follows 18 months of Zifa Normalisation Committee (NC) control.
Before the NC takeover, Gift Banda was the acting president of Zifa, assuming the role after replacing Felton Kamambo, who was fired by councillors on April 23, 2022.
The election for positions in the executive committee will take place by position, as stated in Article 31 Paragraph 7, with every candidate proposed by at least five members and each member supporting only one candidate for each given position.
If a member supports more than one candidate, none of their expressions will be considered valid.
If there are more than two candidates for the position of president and vice president of Zifa, the one with the least will be eliminated until only two candidates are left if no one attains a vote of more than 50 percent from the first round of the plebiscite.
The Zifa constitution states that the names of candidates must be received 45 days before the elections, with the official list of candidates publicised 10 days before the elections.
The electoral college disclosed that members attached to other football bodies will not have to quit their positions.
Newly promoted PSL clubs will be allowed to vote.
Speculators have been rampant, with some individuals being linked to positions and several regions taking positions that they will vote as a bloc.
Lloyd Munhanga revealed two weeks ago that the Zimbabwe Soccer Coaches Association would be voting for their desired candidates as a bloc.
Zimbabwe football has been yearning for change and improvements, and many hope these watershed elections will usher in a new era for the sport.
mbulelo smpofu
