THE onslaught on Northern Region Division One Soccer League chairperson, Martin Kweza, who is the hot favorite to be the next Zifa president has increased after the football mother body opened doors for nominations ahead of the elections in January next year.
Kweza's detractors are plotting to make sure that he does not stand in the election following up their media campaign with a lawsuit which they hope will block him from contesting in the election.
Maxwell Mabuto who is not representing any football team in the Zifa structures filed a lawsuit questioning Kweza's standing as the Zifa Northern Region chairperson.
The Zifa electoral college can decide to bar Kweza from contesting the Zifa elections based on this lawsuit.
Kweza is running for the Zifa presidency and is likely to come up against, among others, Walter Magaya of Yadah, Twine Phiri, Farai Jere of Caps United, Themba Mliswa, who only lasted three days as Dynamos chairperson more than a decade ago and Philemon Machana.
The Zifa normalisation committee will vet the candidates and come up with a list of those eligible to run for the office.
Kweza has come under attack from his rivals who are believed to be sponsoring the shenanigans to take him out of the competition.
Maxwell Mabuto , who says he is a football fan, has filed a high court application questioning Kweza's standing as chairperson of the Northern Region.
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Mabuto argues that Kweza should not be the chairperson because elections should have been held following the death of former chairperson Willard Manyengavana.
According to the Zifa constitution, it is Zifa's prerogative to organise the elections of office bearers in the regions.
And as a vice chairperson Kweza was entitled to hold office of the chairman when there is not one.
"This is an application of declaratory order remedying my rights and those of first respondent (Kweza) and second respondent’s (Northern Region) general membership to the prior administration of the second respondent specifically. I seek an order declaring a nullity at the appointment of the first respondent of the second respondent in 2019."
Mabuto argued that after the demise of Manyengavana, Kweza ought to have held office only for 90 days.
He says that Kweza blocked the process of electing a new chairman and therefore as a football fan he was prejudiced.
The Zifa Northern Region Division One Soccer League constitution demands that a vice chairman will hold office until the next elections.
The Zifa elections will usher in a new board to run the affairs of the game after the expiration of the normalisation committee mandate in January.
