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Fifa bans former Zimbabwe football official for sexual harassment

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BY ED AARONS AND ROMAIN MOLINA

Fifa has banned the former secretary general of the Zimbabwe Football Association’s referees committee from all football-related activities for five years after finding him guilty of sexually harassing three female officials.

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Obert Zhoya has also been fined 20,000 Swiss francs (£17,600) after an investigation by Fifa’s independent ethics committee. His ban comes after one alleged victim told the Guardian she had been “humiliated, intimidated and degraded” by Zhoya, claiming she had received a series of WhatsApp messages from him asking her to spend the night with him in a hotel.

“The adjudicatory chamber of the independent Ethics Committee has banned Mr Obert Zhoya, former secretary general of the referees committee of the Zimbabwe Football Association (Zifa) from all football-related activities for a duration of five years, after having found him guilty of abusing his position to sexually harass three female Zifa referees,” read a statement from Fifa on Thursday.

“Upon careful analysis of the written statements of the victims as well as the various evidence collected during the investigations conducted by the investigatory chamber, the adjudicatory chamber was comfortably satisfied that Mr Zhoya had breached art. 23 (Protection of physical and mental integrity), art. 25 (Abuse of position) and, by corollary, art. 13 (General duties) of the Code of Ethics.”

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Allegations of sexual harassment against Zhoya were first reported by local media in Zimbabwe in September 2020 but it was not until the alleged victims reported the claims to police, in December 2021, that a formal investigation was launched.

In November 2020 the allegations were sent to Fifa, the Confederation of African Football (Caf), and the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations. Joyce Cook, Fifa’s chief social responsibility and education officer, said Fifa initially referred the allegations to Caf for three months because it “did not have the competence to investigate and judge such conducts”.

One alleged victim wrote to Zifa expressing concern that her complaints were not being taken seriously.

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“I would like to put on record that he had been making these unwelcome sexual advances since September 2019,” she wrote.

“The allegations I make herein are backed by evidence in the form of phone call voice recordings.

“I then got the courage from the evidence I had, and learning that I’m not the only one [who] was subject to this harassment.

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“I have been on the Zifa [referees] panel since 2019, I’m 30 years old. I expected to be treated with respect, not like a lady of the night.

“I however request you to look into the matter and possibly address the issue and in the process protect me and my fellow female referees who are suffering silently.”

Zhoya did not respond to a previous Guardian request for comment. – The Guardian

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Ex- Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson enjoys holiday break in Victoria Falls

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BY STAFF REPORTER

Legendary former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has been enjoying a holiday in Victoria Falls.

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The 83-year-old Scot who has sufferer a series of personal setbacks in the last few years looked healthy and happy as he was mobbed by Manchester United fans during his visit to Zimbabwe’s premier tourist destination.

Ferguson was happy to pose for pictures with staff at the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge on Sunday at the end of his three-day stay.

The Zimbabwe Tourism Authority took note of his visit, posting on X: “We appreciate your choice of your holiday destination Sir Alex Ferguson. Zimbabwe loves you, please come again and continue to experience Zimbabwe.”

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Ferguson resigned as Manchester United manager in 2013 after 26 years at the club and remains the most successful manager in English Premier League history.

In 2018, he collapsed at home and was rushed to hospital with a brain hemorrhage which required surgery.

In 2023, his wife Cathy died at the age of 84 and a year later Ferguson stood down from his role as an ambassador for Manchester United it seems to travel the world.

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SOURCE: ZIMLIVE

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Bosso CEO Sihlangu Dlodlo dies

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BY FUNGAI MUDERERE

Highlanders Football Club chief executive officer Sihlangu Dlodlo has died.

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According to The Chronicle newspaper, he was found dead at his Nketa 9 home in Bulawayo Monday evening, one of his close friends, Allan “Ripper” Mpofu, confirmed last night.

Dlodlo’s body was discovered after close associates forced entry into his premises.

He had not been seen since Saturday.

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“It seems like my friend passed on over the weekend. He was alone at his place,” said a shaken Mpofu with sobs.

“After the alarm was raised that he had gone missing, with the help of his relatives we had to force open the gate at his place to gain entry.

“After peeping through the window, I could not believe my eyes. I saw the lifeless body of my close friend. This is so disheartening; it’s really sad.

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“We discovered this around 6.45pm. I cannot speak further because I have to respect his (Sihlangu) family.”

Highlanders chairman Kenneth Mhlophe said Sihlangu’s death was a huge loss to the Bosso family and that they were waiting for the Dlodlo family to give the green light to comment more.

“It’s sad. We are disturbed. It’s a big loss to us but we have been advised by our board chairman (Luke Mkandla) to first have the green light from the Dlodlo family to comment further,” said Mhlophe.

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Ex-Highlanders chief executive Nhlanhla Bahlangene Dube said he was devastated.

“Just look at my WhatsApp status; It’s a picture of him and me watching the Highlanders Royals game on Saturday. My mind is all over. Maybe I can only comment tomorrow (today). I’m not okay. I cannot find the right words now,” said Dube.

One of Bosso’s popular followers Duduzu “Teekay” Sibanda was at a loss for words.

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“What a loss. I was with him on Saturday when the Emgwanwini Chapter hosted a tournament. We also watched the Highlanders Royals in action against a team from Mutare together.

“He also gave me his address. We spent the whole day with him. This is sad,” said Sibanda.

While finer details could not be obtained on what happened to the late Sihlangu, social media was already abuzz about his untimely death.

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At around 8.20pm yesterday, the body of the late Sihlangu was yet to be taken to a mortuary.

The late Dlodlo was appointed Bosso head of secretariat in April to replace Ronald Moyo who opted against renewing his contract with the Bulawayo giants.

Dlodlo is a former Premier Soccer League secretary-general and ex-Bantu Rovers general manager.

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Before his appointment at Highlanders, he was the general manager at Kings and Queens Funeral Services, a position he held from November last year, and had also been a sales and marketing executive at the company.

The late Dlodlo, who also worked at Innscor Africa as a sales marketing manager, was also a veteran arts administrator who enjoyed a good working relationship with the late Cont Mhlanga at Amakhosi Cultural Centre.

He was also praised for many breakthrough strategies that led to Amakhosi’s emergence as a powerhouse on the arts scene in the 90s.

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The late Dlodlo will also be remembered for his service in the private sector, taken as proof by some that artistes could lead and thrive even beyond the arts.

SOURCE: THE CHRONICLE 

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ZOU hosts sports gala

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BY NOTHANDO DUBE

It was a colorful and action-packed day at Mkoba Teachers college as Zimbabwe Open  University held its Sports Gala on weekend, bringing together students from its ten regional campuses across the country.

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A total of 130 students from all regional campuses participated in a variety of sporting activities.

The list of games included athletics, soccer, netball, volleyball, days, javelin and high jump.

Zimbabwe Open University is an Open and distance and e-learning (OdeL) institution that has ten regional campuses and one virtual campus totaling to 11 campuses.

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Most of the learning is done online and events like these give students a platform to share the experience and environment enjoyed by their counterparts from conventional tertiary institutions.

A total of 13 students from each region represented their regional campuses across the sporting areas outlined.

The wellness and interaction event was attended and graced by The Dean of Students, Thandiwe Chivasa together with staff from the national Centre and 10 Student advisors from the ten regional campuses.

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Volleyball and athletics drew much excitement from all teams as regions cheered for their teams.

The winning teams walked away with medals and trophies for excelling.

The event was a resounding success after a long six years break from such games by the institution.

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Students living with disabilities were part of the fun and excitement throughout the day.

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