Zifa vice president’s hearing today

Petros Kausiyo Deputy Sports Editor

AFTER more than two months of waiting, suspended ZIFA vice president Gift Banda is today expected to appear before a disciplinary committee to answer to charges of breaching the association’s constitution and acting outside the powers he is mandated by the board.

Banda was suspended on January 16 by his fellow board members but the former Njube Sundowns director has not yet been brought before any judicial body to answer to the charges he is facing.

Questions have, however, been raised on whether the disciplinary committee is the right body to try him as the ZIFA constitution is also silent on how executive members are dealt with in such instances.

There is a school of thought that has been arguing that Banda and any other executive member facing charges of misconduct should come before an Ethics Committee.

ZIFA president, Felton Kamambo, however, defended the decision to refer Banda’s case to a disciplinary committee.

“The matter could have been heard much earlier when we set up the judicial bodies but the vice-president asked to be excused,’’ said Kamambo.

“So, now, a new date has been set and he will appear before the disciplinary committee. The matter cannot be taken to the ethics committee because the ethics committee doesn’t deal with the kind of offences he committed.

“An ethics committee assesses individuals in terms of their moral standing and in this case it is not the vice-president’s moral standing that is in question but different violations of the constitution.’’

ZIFA chief executive, Joseph Mamutse, wrote to Banda on the charges he is facing and the letter outlining the offences read:

“The Zimbabwe Football Association hereby confirms that you are being charged of bringing association into disrepute and consequently you have been provisionally suspended from association football pending finalisation of the due process as provided for in the ZIFA Constitution and ZIFA Rules and Regulations and subsequent ratification of the outcome thereof by the ZIFA Congress.

“Your suspension is with effect from 16th January 2019. “Your provisional suspension from association football was as a result of the following conduct attributed to you, which conduct violated the ZIFA Constitution and ZIFA Rules and Regulations:

1. You allegedly and unilaterally usurped the ZIFA Executive Committee’s powers by making appointments of members of the senior and Under 23 mens’ teams in violation of the ZIFA Constitution Article 34. You unilaterally and without the Board’s consent, usurped the powers of the ZIFA Executive Committee of appointing technical personnel.

2. You allegedly abused your office as acting president by appointment individuals connected to your pre elections campaign, to key positions of the National teams.

As if that were not enough you further abused your office by acting as if you were under the instructions of the ZIFA president, appointing individuals perceived to have been part of his pre-election campaign team, causing alarm and despondency in Zimbabwean football.

3. You allegedly abused your office by usurping the mandate of the ZIFA technical Development Committee, High Performance Committee or any ad hoc Committee set up in terms of the ZIFA Constitution Article 40 by making key appointments to the technical teams of the senior and Under 23 men’s teams.

4. You allegedly misrepresented to the general public through media statements attributed to yourself the position of the association technical teams, making public statements that the Board had resolved to effect the changes which you communicated to the general public through the media. Your misrepresentation through the media left the association in bad light with fans, corporate sector and government.

5. You allegedly caused instability within the senior men’s team structure through your unsanctioned technical charges and such destabilisation left the team exposed to match fixers who could target our team’s last fixture set for March 2019. The senior men’s team has been a target of match fixers