ZIFA vice-president Gift Banda was suspended yesterday following a meeting by ZIFA’s board held in Harare.
Banda was suspended for allegedly reshuffling the Warriors technical team without the blessing of his boss, Felton Kamambo, and other board members. Kamambo was out of the country in Senegal for the Caf awards at the time. Banda, who was Zifa acting president when he announced that Rahman Gumbo and Lloyd Mutasa had been relieved of their duties and replaced by Bongani Mafu and Tonderai Ndiraya, was said to have acted beyond the jurisdiction of his authority.
In arguments presented to his fellow board members yesterday, Banda said he felt his role as the acting president empowered him to make such decisions. He even suggested that if what he did was out of line with the constitution, the board could reverse the appointments. The matter was taken to a vote and four of the seven remaining members voted for Banda to be suspended, pending the confirmation of his suspension by the Zifa Council at the association’s annual meeting in March. Three voted for him to be retained as the vice-president.
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