The new board of the Zimbabwe Football Association is cleaning house and has asked all members of the ZIFA secretariat to submit applications to retain their jobs, Michael Kariati reported from Harare.
When he was elected, new ZIFA Board President Cuthbert Dube said headquarters must be restructured and has now ordered all staff including CEO Henrietta Rushwaya to reapply.
Sources said low-level employees have been told to file applications to be considered for their posts. A FIFA headquarters source said staffers have until next Friday to put in applications and CVs to Dube. Failure to do so would mean losing the opportunity to continue working for the national football federation.
The board’s moves have stirred panic inside ZIFA house which is said to be overstaffed.
The board is also auditing ZIFA’s finances and properties. The audit is being overseen by Elliott Kasu, board member for finance, who has been in and out of headquarters carrying documents over the past two weeks, sources said.
Kasu said the board wants to start with a clean slate so as not to be blamed for past mistakes.
The Sport and Recreation Commission is said to be probing alleged financial misconduct and poor administration, including unsanctioned Asia trips by the team which is alleged to have been used by betting syndicates.
The board flexed its muscles when it first met on April 30, ejecting one of Rushwaya's two secretaries and saying it was not her duty to take board minutes, though she had done so for former board chief Wellington Nyatanga.
Rushwaya declined to comment, referring VOA to Dube, who could not be reached. But Kasu was straight to the point saying the board was evaluating staff to determine if they were needed and if their pay was justified.
In Premier Soccer League business, Kiglon Football Club, which failed to find a buyer, says it is determined to claim the PSL title this season starting with unbeaten Motor Action at Gwanzura Stadium on Sunday.
Kiglon Chairman Arthur Chitunhu tells VOA Studio 7 reporter Marvellous Mhlanga-Nyahuye his team popularly know as the "Shiri Yamhara," Shona for "the bird has landed," would like to pull off an upset this weekend and has lined up a bevy of players with which it hopes to break Motor Action string of victories.
