Edzai Kasinauyo
Prosper Dembedza Harare Bureau
FORMER Zifa board member Edzai Kasinauyo yesterday appeared in court accused of organising the “Limpopogate” match-fixing scandal together with his accomplices.
The syndicate allegedly attempted to bribe Zimbabwe national soccer team players to lose games against Swaziland in February.
Kasinauyo, 41, appeared before Harare magistrate Tendai Mahwe facing bribery charges and was granted $100 bail.
He will be back in court on May 24.
As part of his bail conditions, he was ordered not to interfere with State witnesses.
Allegations are that between January and February 2016, Kasinauyo, working in cahoots with Henrietta Rushwaya, Ian Gorowa and Nation Dube, were involved in acts of soccer match-fixing, targeting the South African Premier Soccer League.
It is alleged that Kasinauyo and Leeroy Kundishora Waguta, who later turned out to be the whistle-blower, were acting in connivance with Chan Sankran, a well-known Asian match-fixer who was the financier. In February, Kasinauyo and his accomplices allegedly agreed to fix the Afcon qualifier matches between Swaziland and Zimbabwe scheduled for March 25 and 28, 2016, in Mbabane and Harare, respectively.
They allegedly agreed to offer bribes to Zimbabwe national soccer team players as inducement to lose the games.
It is alleged that they agreed to implement their plan after announcement of the team selected to play against Swaziland.
It is the State’s case that Kasinauyo was tasked to put pressure on Warriors coach Kallisto Pasuwa to prematurely announce the list of players or leak the list to the syndicate.
The court heard that Kasinauyo and his accomplices had agreed to target three players — the goalkeeper and any two defenders, and these players were to ensure that Zimbabwe would lose the back-to-back matches by a 2-0 goal margin.
In the event that Zimbabwe scored, the players were to ensure that it would lose the match by a 3-1 goal margin and, in the event that no goal was considered in open play, the targeted defenders had an obligation to concede a penalty and later receive a red card.
It is alleged that in return, the targeted players would get $15,000 each. Waguta, it is alleged, alerted Pasuwa of the plot to bribe the players and fix the matches.
He assured Pasuwa that he was going to constantly update him with progress on Kasinauyo and his accomplices’ plans.
The court heard that after the delay in announcing the team, Kasinauyo identified Tatenda Mukuruva as the probable goalkeeper. Gorowa allegedly phoned Mukuruva inviting him to South Africa purporting that he wanted him for trials with the aim of luring him into their deal.
It is alleged that Mukuruva informed Pasuwa of the plan again.
Pasuwa, it is alleged, constantly received information from Waguta. At the same time Kasinauyo kept on pressurising him for the release of the list of players.
As a result Pasuwa could not contain the pressure and finally informed Zifa president Philip Chiyangwa, the court heard.
The court heard that on March 10, then Zifa chief executive officer Jonathan Mashingaidze reported the matter to the police, leading to Kasinauyo’s arrest.