Omega Sibanda
Grace Chingoma Harare Bureau
THE Parliamentary Committee on Education and Sport yesterday challenged Zifa to take seriously the welfare of the women’s national football team.
The players, who booked a ticket to the Africa Women Cup of Nations on Sunday, have been promised $50 each for bus fare to go back home after the victory against Zambia in Lusaka.
They left camp yesterday to return home.
Zifa president Philip Chiyangwa says they are putting together the financial package to reward the Mighty Warriors and are banking on striking a deal with their sponsors.
The Committee, led by acting chairperson and Member of Parliament for Buhera West Oliver Mandipaka, was on a familiarisation tour of Zifa facilities.
They toured Zifa House at 53 Livingstone Avenue before going to the Zifa Village in Mt Hampden.
At the Zifa Village they met the Mighty Warriors who are owed about $3,500 each.
The female legislators on the Committee, led by Emma Muzondiwa and Molly Mkandla, demanded answers as they said the team was being treated poorly compared to their male counterparts.
The Committee also demanded to know if the deal to give the players residential stands was real and wanted to know the stand numbers and the area where the stands are.
The Parliamentarians said they expected to see the entire Zifa leadership, including Chiyangwa, during their tour but only met vice-president Omega Sibanda and chief executive Jonathan Mashingaidze.
Mandipaka said Zifa must deal with the Mighty Warriors issue with urgency.
“The position of this Parliamentary Portfolio Committee is that we aren’t happy now that we’ve heard evidence from these Mighty Warriors,” said Mandipaka.
“So we want to register our displeasure at that. We’re saying, at least, given the financial constraints that we all know, do something to make them a happy lot.”
Mandipaka saiid they were not on a witch-hunting mission but were trying to assist Zifa by hearing their concerns.
Sibanda pleaded with the Committee to give them time as they are still new in the office and were making strides to stabilise the game.
“Zifa were sinking in debts every day and we’re rebranding the organisation. We’re a new committee whereby we’ve started to get some packages in the form of sponsorship.
“But also, as the portfolio committee on Sport, we are requesting as Zifa, to be with us along this journey because it’s really difficult, it’s a national duty and it’s not Chiyangwa and his crew’s job alone.
“We feel we should be assisting each other because of the image which we had before, an image that wasn’t destroyed deliberately but because of circumstances which I assume everyone knows here.
“We’re seeing inflows in terms of sponsorship, before this there was no sponsorship for the past five years or so, there was nothing.
“But we’re making massive efforts to lure back the corporate world to come and join us on board especially at this juncture.”
He defended Zifa’s decision to house the Olympic-bound team at the Zifa Village.
“On the issue of accommodation, we accommodate our players both the Mighty Warriors and the Warriors as per their request.
“If you look at the Mighty Warriors they camp more days than the Warriors, so it’s only cheaper to keep them here at the Zifa Village and the training facility is here also.
“If you look at the Warriors, usually they camp three, four days and Daisy Lodge is ideal for the Boy Child.
“The Girl Child needs accommodation in a proper secluded area like the Zifa Village,” said Sibanda.