NEWS
Philip Chiyangwa, Omega Sibanda sensationally booted out as ZIFA bosses
Published
4 years agoon

Felton Kamambo is the new ZIFA president after he sensationally beat incumbent Philip Chiyangwa in the national football mother body’s elections held in Harare yesterday.
Constitutionally, the winner was supposed to garner at least two-thirds of the vote but after amassing 35 to Chiyangwa’s 24, the latter withdrew his candidature just before a re-run was about to be conducted.
Just like Philip Chiyangwa, incumbent vice-president Omega Sibanda also fell by the wayside as he lost to Gift Banda by 22-37.
The only survivor from the three men who were running the country’s soccer mother body’s affairs was Philemon Machana, who was elected into the board together with Manica Diamonds secretary-general Sugar Chagonda, Rodrick Chamu Chiwanza and Brighton Malandule.
“The board is made from heaven. I have no doubt the board will deliver. We have to make our mark, work hard for the development of football in the country. What we can promise the country is that we have not forgotten what we promised in the run-up to the elections.
“Just check our manifesto, we are going to deliver exactly what we said.”
Yet before the elections, Kamambo along with Banda had been disqualified from taking part in the polls by the ZIFA electoral college who cited some “flimsy” reasons.
But the pair took the case to FIFA which led to their re-admission into the race for the highest football office on the land.
In fact, the world’s soccer governing body FIFA yesterday sent three observers to see to it that the whole process was conducted in a transparent manner.
Kamambo and his newly-elected board know they are inheriting an association ridden with a heavy debt. He, however, maintained that through good governance, ZIFA will make big strides in offsetting that.
Of course, we will be focusing more on developing the game but at the same time, we know the fruits which corporate governance can bring. We will engage stakeholders and map the way forward. What we want at the end of the day is to see a vibrant system which brings success on and off the field.”
Football stakeholders immediately started congratulating Kamambo after delivering the mighty blow.
Harare City chairman Alois Masepe, an astute administrator himself, said Kamambo was a good leader who was capable of taking soccer in the country to the next level.
“Kamambo is a leader of repute. We have always called for development starting from the grassroots level. It is a welcome development that Kamambo, who has development at heart, has been elected the ZIFA president. He needs everyone’s support and as Harare City, we will back him as much as possible,” said Masepe.
Former Dynamos chairman Simon Makaza echoed Masepe’s sentiments and said the new board consists of people who see the value of football. “God is great, the ZIFA councillors now see the value of football and expectations of the owners of the game who are the fans.
“The new board must now get down to business and take our football to a certain stage of development . . . We can now start going back to watch football,” Makaza said.
Kamambo and his new board will also have to deliberate on the mooted August to May Premiership calendar which stakeholders rejected yesterday.
The stakeholders held their annual meeting before the elections.
The Premier Soccer League had written to ZIFA proposing for the alteration as they wanted the local season to be in line with professional leagues.
Already the Confederation of African Football has shifted the season for the CAF Champions League as well as the CAF Confederations Cup.
The change in the CAF calendar mid this year meant the PSL had to handpick representatives for the two competitions which started early this month.
While FC Platinum, who were the reigning league champions, took the offer to participate in the Champions League, the then Chibuku Super Cup holders Harare City rejected the offer, citing inadequate preparation time.
But the move by CAF to align their schedule with other international bodies prompted the PSL to consider changing the local season.
Modalities were already on the ground to ensure a smooth transition from the March to November to the August to May period, including a stop-gap tournament to keep the teams active between January and May.
But it was always going to be a tough task coming up with a unanimous position given a lot of factors needed to be considered before the shift.
And yesterday the gathering was a discordant lot with stakeholders divided over the matter.
Although the issue was not wholly thrown out of the window, no changes will be effected until at least after this coming season.
It was resolved that the next term as has been always the case begins in March and ends in November whilst deliberations on the way forward are discussed. Improper infrastructure in the country is the major area of concern for the mooted shift in season.
Not even a single stadium in the country has an effective drainage system to withstand the normally unforgiving peak rains, especially between December and March.
Given that the change would be blanket, it meant lower division leagues would have been left with no stadium to play on as most of their games are played on community grounds which are practically unplayable during the rainy season.
The same fate would have befallen the Women Soccer League not to mention spectators.
PLS chairman Farai Jere, who was elected into office in September this year, said the change is on course despite being shelved.
“Some councillors objected the shift in the season citing lack of proper infrastructure and some logistical issues.
“However, the change is still on, deliberations will be made going forward,” said Jere.
The Herald
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A growing number of Zimbabwean students are looking to Poland for nursing education, hoping to find employment in other countries after graduation. Vincent Pol University in Lublin Poland and the University of Economics and Innovation are among the top destinations for Zimbabwean students pursuing nursing degrees.
Over 500 Zimbabwean students are studying in Poland, with the majority enrolled in nursing programs. The reasons for this trend include the high quality of education offered at these institutions, affordable tuition fees, and the potential for employment opportunities abroad after graduation.
“Poland has a very good reputation in the field of nursing education, and the curriculum is aligned with international standards,” said one Zimbabwean nurse who studied in Poland and now works for the NHS in the United Kingdom. “The education and training I received in Poland prepared me well for my nursing career in the UK”
After completing their nursing degrees, many Zimbabwean students are finding employment opportunities in countries like the UK, Canada, and the United States. These countries are currently experiencing a shortage of nurses, and are actively recruiting qualified professionals from other countries to fill these positions.
“The demand for nurses in these countries is high, and the qualifications and experience that Zimbabwean nurses bring make them highly sought after,” he said. “Many Zimbabwean nurses are able to find well-paying jobs with good benefits, and are able to provide a better life for themselves and their families.”
While the prospect of working abroad is attractive to many Zimbabwean students, there are concerns about the brain drain and its impact on the healthcare system in Zimbabwe. “It is important for us to address the root causes of the shortage of nurses in Zimbabwe, and to invest in education and training programs that will help us retain our healthcare professionals,” he added.
Despite these concerns, many Zimbabwean students continue to pursue nursing education in Poland as a means of achieving their career goals and improving their standard of living. With the demand for nurses expected to remain high in the coming years, the prospects for employment abroad look promising for those who are willing to take the leap and pursue their education abroad.

Zimbabwe Vice President Kembo Mohadi resigned on Monday following local media reports he had engaged in improper conduct.
Kembo Mohadi, along with Constantino Chiwenga, was a deputy to President Emmerson Mnangagwa since 2018, but without a political power base, he was not seen as a potential successor to the president.
In a rare move by a public official in Zimbabwe, Kembo Mohadi said he had taken the decision to step down “not as a matter of cowardice but as a sign of demonstrating great respect to the office of the President”.
“I have been going through a soul-searching pilgrimage and realised that I need the space to deal with my problem outside the governance chair,” he said in a statement released by the Ministry of Information.
Local online media service ZimLive has in the past two weeks carried reports that Kembo Mohadi had improper sexual liaisons with married women, including one of his subordinates.
Mohadi, 70, denied the accusations last week saying this was part of a political plot against him. On Monday he continued to deny the accusations saying he would seek legal recourse.
BUSINESS
Zimbabwe agrees to pay $3.5 billion compensation to white farmers
Published
3 years agoon
29/07/2020
Zimbabwe agreed on Wednesday to pay $3.5 billion in compensation to Zimbabwe white farmers whose land was expropriated by the government to resettle black families, moving a step closer to resolving one the most divisive policies of the Robert Mugabe era.
But the southern African nation does not have the money and will issue long term bonds and jointly approach international donors with the farmers to raise funding, according to the compensation agreement.
Two decades ago Mugabe’s government carried out at times violent evictions of 4,500 Zimbabwe white farmers and redistributed the land to around 300,000 Black families, arguing it was redressing colonial land imbalances.
The agreement signed at President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s State House offices in Harare showed white farmers would be compensated for infrastructure on the farms and not the land itself, as per the national constitution.
Details of how much money each farmer, or their descendants, given the time elapsed since the farms were seized, was likely to get were not yet clear, but the government has said it would prioritise the elderly when making the settlements.
Farmers would receive 50% of the compensation after a year and the balance within five years. Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube and acting Agriculture Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri signed on behalf of the government, while farmers unions and a foreign consortium that undertook valuations also penned the agreement.
“As Zimbabweans, we have chosen to resolve this long-outstanding issue,” said Andrew Pascoe, head of the Commercial Farmers Union representing Zimbabwe white farmers.
The land seizures were one of Mugabe’s signature policies that soured ties with the West. Mugabe, who was ousted in a coup in 2017 and died last year, accused the West of imposing sanctions on his government as punishment.
The programme still divides public opinion in Zimbabwe as opponents see it as a partisan process that left the country struggling to feed itself. But its supporters say it has empowered landless Black people. Mnangagwa said the land reform could not be reversed but paying of compensation was key to mending ties with the West. Reuters

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Kembo Mohadi resigns amid sex scandal

Zimbabwe agrees to pay $3.5 billion compensation to white farmers
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