HARARE – Former Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) president Felton Kamambo and four members his executive, have been acquitted by a Harare magistrate who found the ousted football administrators not guilty of fraud.
Kamambo was being accused together with Philemon Machana, Stanley Chapeta, Joseph Mamutse and Brighton Malandule.
Magistrate Taurai Manuwere cleared the former ZIFA bosses of any wrongdoing at the close of State’s case.
The five were accused of writing letters on ZIFA letterhead while they were on suspension.
Prosecutors alleged that they wrote letters suspending other ZIFA officials when they themselves were under a suspension order issued by the Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC).
The magistrate ruled the state had failed “to lead evidence incriminating the five for a reasonable court to convict.”
Key witnesses Sébastien Garikai and Xolisani Gwesela exonerated them.
Kamambo and colleagues had denied the allegations.
The SRC had also withdrawn charges against the five but the state insisted on prosecution.
Giving his testimony, Gwesela told court that he “was shocked that the matter was still progressing” after the SRC had withdrawn charges.
Gwesela also conceded that the alleged suspension of the five was null and void as the football governing body FIFA continued to recognise them as the legitimate executive going to the extent of suspending the country from all international football activities.
Gwesela also said he could not prove that the email he received came from the five adding that “anything is possible in cyberspace”.
“I only received an email from [email protected] but I have no evidence that it was him who sent it. Anything is possible in cyberspace,” he said.
Gwesela further denied that he caused the reporting of the matter to the police but only cooperated by the SRC as they were his “employers and paying his salaries”.
He said he had nothing against the five and had worked well with them.
Garikai, a senior member from the SRC cited as complainants conceded that there was no verification to prove that indeed the letters emanated from the five.
He also said that the letter of suspension to the five was silent on what they were not supposed to do including the alleged writing of letters.
Garikai also told the court that despite them suspending the ex-ZIFA board members, the world football governing body, FIFA, trashed their actions and went on ban the nation from all international football activities.
He conceded that the SRC did not ascertain whether the five actually wrote, signed, and sent the letters to various ZIFA officials but that they based their report on complaints raised by Gwesela and others to them.
