The Chief Executive Officer of the Zimbabwe Football Association, Henrietta Rushwaya, was arrested on Friday and appeared in court the same day on allegations of theft involving $2,400.
The Herald reported on Saturday that the police picked up Rushwaya at the ZIFA offices in Harare and she appeared before provincial magistrate Mr. Mishrod Guvamombe, who remanded her to November 23 on ZW$10m bail.
As part of the bail conditions, the ZIFA chief was ordered not to interfere with witnesses until the matter was finalised.
The prosecutor, Mr. David Manavele, told the court that sometime in August this year, the Confederation of African Football, through the world football governing body FIFA, requested ZIFA to send three participants to Tanzania for the FIFA Futuro Three administration and management course.
The course ran from August 31 to September 6 and Premier Soccer League Secretary-General Kennedy Ndebele, ZIFA programmes officer Jonathan Musavengana and Theresa Mugove Maguraushe, a women’s football administrator, were nominated to participate in the course.
According to the State, on August 28 this year, ZIFA, through board member responsible for finance Gladmore Muzambi and Rushwaya, originated a letter to CBZ Bank authorising the withdrawal of $2, 100 from a ZIFA foreign currency account.
A schedule justifying the withdrawal of the money was attached to the letter, the State said.
It was alleged that the letter indicated that the three participants would be paid $100 per day for seven days as out-of-pocket allowances.
The three participants were, however, each given $50 per day per person, amounting to $350 each for the seven days, the court heard. The three were given a total of $1, 050 and they signed for it in the allowance voucher book.
The State, however, alleged that Rushwaya was handed over the balance of $1, 050 by the acting finance manager of ZIFA Tafirenyika Chitsungo and the former had allegedly converted it to her own use.
The State further alleged that sometime in September, Mighty Warriors team manager Charity Mudzviti was invited for the 8th Women’s Football Symposium and the Women’s World Cup finals in China from September 26 to October 2 this year.
ZIFA allegedly wrote a letter to CBZ requesting a withdrawal $2, 400, which was the total daily allowance for the two for six days at $200 per day each.
The letter was signed by both Muzambi and Rushwaya and was withdrawn from another ZIFA foreign currency account before the latter collected it.
The State further alleged that documents available indicated that Rushwaya and Mudzviti got $1, 050 out of the $2, 400, leaving a balance of $1, 350, which she also allegedly converted to her own use.