Prophet Walter Magaya and Gift Banda accused of manipulation

A potentially explosive scandal is unfolding in Zimbabwean football, with allegations against Prophet Walter Magaya and former Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) vice president Gift Banda over attempts to gain influential positions within the organisation. The duo is accused of orchestrating a clandestine meeting on October 10, 2024 at Number 10 Park Road in Bulawayo where they allegedly tried to persuade ZIFA councilors from the Southern Region to amend the association’s constitution.

The controversial proposal aims to remove the requirement for executive committee members to hold at least five O-level qualifications, an academic standard that Magaya does not meet. Critics argue that this move could violate Article 4 of the ZIFA Statutes, which emphasizes non-discrimination and equality.

Magaya, who is the founder of Prophetic Healing and Deliverance Ministries, has previously faced allegations of rape and fraud, while Banda has been implicated in match-fixing scandals and has been sacked from ZIFA twice.

The meeting focused on convincing the councilors to reject the educational qualifications clause and other stipulations seen as obstacles to their ambitions for the next ZIFA elections scheduled for January 2025. Sources indicate that Magaya has as aim to become the president of ZIFA, while Banda is eyeing the vice president. – presidential position.

ZIFA’s draft Statutes emphasize the need for integrity checks and educational qualifications for executive committee members, stipulating that the president and vice-presidents must have passed a minimum of five O-level subjects or have equivalent qualifications .

The meeting scheduled for October 18 in Harare will allow ZIFA councilors to discuss the proposed amendments and lay the groundwork for the executive committee elections.

Among those attending the controversial meeting were key figures from various football regions, such as Magaya coach Wellington Mpandare, Eddi Ndodana Masuku (President of the South Zone Region), and representatives from Bulawayo Chiefs and Arenel Movers FC, among others.

As this situation unfolds, the implications for Zimbabwean football could be significant, raising concerns about governance, integrity and the influence of powerful individuals within the sport. Magaya has yet to respond to inquiries about the allegations. The coming weeks will be crucial in determining the outcome of this beer scandal and its impact on the future of ZIFA.

In other news: Zimbabwean woman gets 4-year sentence for illegal possession of elephant tusks

A Zimbabwean woman, Nokuthula Sithembile Khumalo, has been sentenced to four years in prison and fined 20,000 pesos for the illegal possession of an elephant tusk in Botswana. The 37-year-old resident of Plumtree, Matabeleland South, was arrested on June 29 at Nswazwi shopping center where she was found with her eye hidden in a bag.

Khumalo was accompanied by her nephew, Gilbert Tasiiwa, during the incident. Tasiiwa was also arrested, but later released after it was established that he did not know the tusk; Read more

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