Suspended ZIFA Vice President Gift banda has refused to be silenced by ZIFA as he continues to fight the football body which is claiming he erred in his conduct despite being acquitted twice by the body’s disciplinary committee, the Chronicle reports.
According to the publication, Banda through his lawyers during his hearing before the appeals committee said the condonation application is an incompetent and futile attempt by the association to continue enjoying the attention of the Appeals Committee. Said Banda in his defence:
I am unaware of the 21-day notice given for such a meeting. Most notably I never exercised my right to vote on this subject as I ought to have. This resolution is therefore defective and of no consequence and the meeting on which this application is based is therefore a nullity,
Banda is also challenging the body’s reason for not availing his legal team with proof of payment for the appeal fees, ZIFA reportedly said the person who has the receipt, Liberty Mateveke, could not get into town because of the lockdown:
We are expected to understand that of all the applicant’s employees, this one failed to get into town from his home. We are further expected to understand that he goes to his home with receipts, including appeal fees receipts, particularly the one in question. We are also expected to understand that if anything should require that he is not present, from either home or office, the totality of proof of monetary receipts will go missing, crucially together with him.
It’s even more stranger that there is no word from Liberty Mateveke himself. There is nothing to even suggest that this Liberty Mateveke exists. It is just Joseph Mamutse’s word against reason. Unless this Liberty Mateveke is still trying to make it into the CBD then nothing explains the absence of a supporting affidavit from him.
The hearing was postponed so that the ZIFA lawyer could prepare his response.
More: The Chronicle