Zimbo Jam

By Zimbo Jam Reporter

19 July 2013

The Minister of Education, Sports, Arts and Culture, Senator David Coltart, this week announced a new board for the National Arts Council which will be chaired by world-renowned eye surgeon-cum-author, Dr Nozipho Maraire.

The Chronicle

By Chronicle Reporter

19 July 2013

The Minister of Education Sports Arts and Culture Senator David Coltart has appointed a new National Arts Council of Zimbabwe (Nacz) Board in terms of Section 5 of the National Arts Council Act. Sen Coltart said the Board’s tenure began on 8 July and will expire on 7 July 2016. “The new board was appointed after wide consultations with various players in the arts and culture sector, and included relevant Ministry officials,” he said.

The new board is chaired by Nozipho Maraire and its members are Chipo Mutasa, Samm Monro, Raphael Khumalo Nomathemba Halimana, Jackie Cahi, Mercy Mushore, Oliver Mutukudzi, Phathisa Nyathi and Misheck Masamvu

The appointed persons have been drawn from varying backgrounds that include music, visual arts, culture, historians, administration, media, commercial, entertainment and film sector, among others.

“I am confident that with this wide expertise, the new board will take the Zimbabwean arts and culture sector to greater heights and make it globally competitive,” he said.

News Day

By Phillip Chidavaenzi

18 July 2013 

MDC candidate for Bulawayo East constituency David Coltart was first elected to represent Bulawayo South House of Assembly constituency in March 2000 and was re-elected in March 2005.

In March 2008, he was elected Senator for Kumalo in Bulawayo.

Senator Coltart was sworn in as Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture in February 2009.

Coltart (DC) says his illustrious track record and ability to bridge the political divide is the ace up his sleeve in his bid to win Bulawayo East constituency.

The following are excerpts of an interview with NewsDay Senior Features Reporter Phillip Chidavaenzi (ND).

ND: Who is David Coltart?

DC: I am a Zimbabwean born in Gweru and raised in Bulawayo. I went to schools in Bulawayo and then went to the University of Cape Town where I studied law.
I have been practicing since 1983. I set up the Bulawayo Legal Projects Centre in 1986.

In the same year, I was appointed Director of the Bulawayo Legal Projects Centre and held that position for 10 years. I was instrumental in getting the Gukurahundi reports published between 1990 and 1997.

In 1999 I joined the MDC at its formation as the legal secretary and worked with (Prime Minister) Morgan Tsvangirai and Gibson Sibanda.
ND: What are you promising the Bulawayo East constituency?

DC: I have been the senator for the Kumalo constituency for the last five years. I have demonstrated my ability to set up large and small projects, including the Bulawayo Legal Projects Centre.

When I was still MP for Bulawayo South, I started a variety of projects including an irrigation scheme in Nketa, which is still running to this day.
As minister, I have been responsible for a variety of major initiatives that have benefited Bulawayo. These include the renovations at Khumalo Hockey Stadium.

I was also able to persuade government to allocate the Zone VI Games to Bulawayo and that has brought a $42 million investment for the building of new residences at NUST and the rehabilitation of Barbourfields Stadium, White City Stadium and Luveve Stadium.

ND: What do you consider the most pertinent issues in this election?

DC: The most pertinent issues are the national issues that have affected this country for a long time now and my drive is to make sure that the country does not slide back to the pre-2008 scenario.

ND: How do you reckon your chances of winning the seat? Do you see any threats from other contestants?

DC: I am under no illusions. This is going to be a tough battle. I appreciate that this seat was lost by the party that I am standing for in 2008. I am standing against Thabitha Khumalo, the incumbent MP, who is very hardworking. I recognise I have a lot of work to do.

But the electorate will see the work that I did while I was holding the senatorial seat (which encompassed Bulawayo East and Central) and they are able to realise that I have been a hardworking senator.

ND: Why have you opted for the parliamentary seat in the forthcoming elections?

DC: This was a request from my party and the reason was that this time, senators will not be elected directly. So the feeling in the party was that as the incumbent senator who has been in this area before, I should contest in the House of Assembly race to win as many votes as possible for the party.

ND: How has your use of social media ahead of this election impacted on your campaign?

DC: I have been involved with social media for a very long time. My websitewww.davidcoltart.com was set up in 2006 and I have been using Facebook and Twitter for many years now.

I was one of the first MPs to have a website. As of now, I have 12500 followers on Twitter and about 8 000 on my Facebook page. This is a very useful medium to get messages across to the electorate.

I have since initiated an sms campaign, through which I have reached over 3 000 people in the constituency.

It’s very expensive to have adverts in the newspapers and the electronic media is controlled by Zanu PF, so this has been an effective way of campaigning.

ND: What would you say voters should look for when voting for their representatives in Parliament?

DC: I believe in the old adage which says “all politics is local”. People are looking for an MP who has a track record in representing the interests of the constituency. They are looking for someone who has the national interest at heart.

Because the political environment is so polarised, it’s important to vote in people who can reach out across the political divide and take the country forward.

For example, when I was able to persuade Cabinet to allow the Zone VI Games to be held in Bulawayo, I convinced both the MDC parties and Zanu PF.

ND: Zanu PF accuses you of what it has called “donorfication” of education in their election manifesto. What do you have to say to this?

DC: I am actually one of the few people singled out for criticism by name (in the manifesto) and for me this shows that my contribution has been extensive.

They say I did it illegally. It’s nonsense. This was part of the Education Transition Fund set up by the United Nations Children’s Fund, with the involvement of the Education ministry.

It’s meant to ensure transparency. Donors have not complained and that means there has been transparency.

Had it not been for that fund, we would not have been able to achieve even a quarter of what we have been able to achieve in education in the last four years.

The education sector was supported by donors after independence. The reason why it had collapsed over the last two decades is because Zanu PF has not been able to access donor money.

The Financial Gazette

By Financial Gazette Reporter

18 July 2013

BUNGLING by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) in the conduct of the two-day special vote could be a harbinger of worse things to come unless urgent measures are taken to capacitate the commission before the polls, which will take place in under two weeks.

ZEC is now under increasing pressure to restore credibility to the hurried election, which was affected by protracted disputes between ZANU-PF and the two Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) formations.

Zimbabweans are still haunted by the harrowing experience of March 2008 when election results were delayed by over a month.

George Chiweshe, now Judge President, presided over the electoral commission in the 2008 election.Back then, the commission was well-funded and had ample time to prepare  for the election, unlike the current situation.

Apart from concerns regarding the independence of its personnel that have dogged ZEC since Chiweshe’s time at the electoral body, more challenges have emerged before the actual voting.

The processes leading up to the elections are still being heavily contested between the parties in and outside the inclusive government, with Prime Minister (PM) Morgan Tsvangirai indicating last week that he was taking part in the poll with “a heavy heart”.

There have been disagreements over the election date, with ZANU-PF’s rivals approaching the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the courts requesting for more time to implement a roadmap that was to precede the elections.

They also decried President Robert Mugabe’s unilateralism in declaring July 31 as the poll date without following a 2011 roadmap agreed with the 15-nation SADC, which chartered a course of reforms to improve conditions for elections.

The proposed reforms included improved voter education and registration, inspection of the voters’ roll, changes to the Public Order and Security Act, media and security sector reforms.

While SADC had advised the coalition partners to approach the courts seeking a two-week poll extension, Chief Justice Godfrey Chidyausiku dismissed the application.

Preparations for the rushed election have also been hampered by lack of funding. Attempts to fundraise in the SADC region and the United Nations drew blanks after the ZANU-PF side of the unity government rejected funding predicated on reforms.

Finance Minister Tendai Biti earlier this month indicated that the election bill had a shortfall of US$85 million from the US$132 million budget drawn up by ZEC.

Justice Rita Makarau, the commission’s chairperson, however, said only US$38,5 million had been released, highlighting the financial limitations
the commission finds itself in.

Despite operating on a shoe-string budget, ZEC is desperate to conduct polls that measure up to SADC’s guidelines and principles on the conduct of elections.

The guidelines stipulate that for polls to be adjudged as democratic there must be full participation of citizens in the political process and equal opportunity to exercise the right to vote and be voted for.

A SADC member country must also ensure the availability of adequate logistics and resources for carrying out the elections.

Among other things, the guidelines also require equal opportunity for all political parties to access the state media.

Those administering the elections have been found wanting in all respects. The government media, especially the public broadcaster have been unrelenting in their partisan coverage of events while thousands of eligible voters were unable to register due to the administrative hiccups experienced during voter registration.

But the greatest challenge facing ZEC is that of convincing a skeptical nation desperate for a free and fair poll that it would be able to pull it off despite the enormity of the challenges.
ZEC has blamed PM Tsvangirai’s party for some of the logistical challenges.

It argued this week that it was unable to prepare voting material in time for the special voting due to the court applications filed by the MDC-T.

Despite the excuses, observers this week said the elections could be reduced to a charade because of the logistical nightmares encountered during the special voting.

They said anything less than a credible election would fuel intense fighting between the competing political parties while prolonging the Zimbabwe crisis, which SADC and the African Union had hoped to address during the sustenance of the coalition.

Scenes across the country of thousands of police officers unable to cast their vote due to the delays in the disbursement of ballot papers for the special vote held at the weekend have erased whatever good ZEC had achieved.

Prior to that thousands of potential voters were disenfranchised following a shambolic voter registration carried out by the Registrar General’s Office in conjunction with ZEC.

Justice Makarau is, however, still confident that ZEC would deliver.

“The fifth of August is the date on which, come hail, come thunder, we must announce the results. That is what the law says,” she said this week.

Election monitors are not convinced.

The Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) this week said the special voting nightmare was a taste of worse things to come.

Solomon Zwana, ZESN’s chairperson, said: “We foresee doom in the upcoming election if what occurred within the last two days is anything to go by.”

“We therefore urge that adequate resources be availed to ZEC to ensure that the organisation carries out its constitutionally mandated duties.”

Mmachakga Mpho Moruakgomo, the head of delegation from the Southern African Church Leaders, said observers should be cautious in coming up with reports on the conduct of elections, adding that they should canvass views from a broad section of the population.

“We received with concern reports about delays in the registration process and the challenges faced by so-called ‘aliens’ in obtaining identity documents, which would have allowed them to register to vote… More could have been done to inform the nation about the requirements for voter registration. All these issues have disenfranchised thousands of Zimbabweans and are likely to compound voter apathy,” said Moruakgomo.

On Tuesday, David Coltart the secretary for legal affairs in the MDC, said they had been vindicated on their claim that the push for an early poll without leaving enough time to take care of all poll requirements was a recipe for disaster.

“The shocking failure by ZEC to produce ballot papers on time vindicates those of us who said we needed more time to hold a lawful election,” said  Coltart.

Tendai Biti, the secretary general of the MDC-T, said the special vote exposed what they have been saying all along, that Zimbabwe is not yet prepared to hold a credible poll.

“The special vote has been the mother of all disasters, exposing what we have known all along: That ZEC was not ready, that technically the country is not ready. If they failed yesterday with 100 000 people what about the millions on the actual polling date?” said Biti.

ZANU-PF spokesperson, Rugare Gumbo, said his party was generally satisfied with the process, even though there were shortcomings “here and there.”

He accused the MDC formations of concentrating on finding faults on the part of ZEC and ZANU-PF.

“We are generally happy with the process. There have been shortcomings here and there, but if you weigh the positives they are 70 percent, 80 percent and the negatives 10 percent, even five percent for that matter,” said Gumbo.

Gumbo also blamed the MDC-T for the chaos during special voting. Asked whether seeking legal recourse was not part of any aggrieved party’s constitutional right, an eventuality that points to the need to have allocated more time to the election roadmap, Gumbo said: “It is their right but they should know the time and place to go to court. They should have known that going to court would delay the production of the voting materials.”

On Tuesday, the United States said it was “deeply concerned” by lack of transparency in preparations for Zimbabwe’s general election and called on the government to ensure the vote was peaceful, fair and credible.

The election will see the third attempt by PM Tsvangirai to unseat President Robert Mugabe, who has ruled Zimbabwe since its independence from Britain in 1980.

Another disputed poll could see  Zimbabwe heading back to tough times that culminated in a decade-year-old political and economic crisis which pushed the nation on the brink of a civil strife.

Southern Eye

By Nduduzo Tshuma

17 July 2013

Outgoing Bulawayo East MP Thabitha Khumalo has been accused of insulting Education minister David Coltart’s campaign team as campaigns for the July 31 harmonised elections hit the home stretch.

Coltart, the former Kumalo senator, is standing on an MDC ticket. According to a member of Coltart’s campaign team, they met Khumalo in the constituency on Monday where she showed them a middle finger.
“We were putting up flyers in the constituency yesterday (Monday) and Khumalo passed us with her team.

“As she passed, she raised a middle finger towards us,” the member of Coltart’s team who requested to remain anonymous said.

“We later learnt that she had gone to Woodville where she and her team removed Coltart’s posters and replaced them with hers.”

When contacted for comment, Khumalo told Southern Eye that Coltart’s team was panicking because she was giving them, “a good run for their money”.

“Yesterday, I was putting posters along Airport Road and I turned into Woodville and put up more in Machikichori.

“I only saw Coltar’s team in Mahatshula and I never insulted them,” Khumalo said.

“Their greatest challenge is that I am giving them a run for their money. I have many things to do and I do not have time to be pulling down their posters and replacing them with mine.”

Khumalo said she and her campaign team “have painted the ground red. “We are making serious inroads and now some people want to get attention by claiming that I am sabotaging their campaign,” she added.

Khumalo later called Southern Eye and said: “I have been driving from Mahatshula to Suburbs and I have not seen a single Coltart poster.
“I do not know how I can be accused of pulling down something that is not there.

“The only posters I saw besides mine are those of Sulumani (Chimbetu) and a few for Zanu PF candidates and an independent.”

Khumalo challenged Coltart’s team to report her to the authorities if their allegations were true. Coltart said he could not comment on the matter as he had been busy with his ministry’s activities.

Southern Eye

By Dumisani Nkomo

17 July 2013

THE most successful MPs have been erroneously feted by many as those who distribute mealie-meal, computers and equipment in their constituencies.

Newspapers have also joined in the band wagon measuring the effectiveness of legislators by the amount of humanitarian work that they do.

This has been accentuated by some MPs who when asked what they will do in their next term, have outlined plans to start relief projects and to dole out this food item or the other.

The economic crisis of the past 10 years has clouded and distorted the core function of MPs who by law and right should be primarily law makers and not project co-ordinators.

The fact that many MPs are going around donating ambulances, computers, kapenta fish and textbooks is indicative of the collapse of State institutions which are supposed to ensure that citizens have basic goods and services available to them.

Parliament which consists of the House of Assembly and Senate exists for three fundamental reasons which are enshrined in the Constitution namely:

To uphold and defend the constitution
To initiate, debate, scrutinise, consider or reject laws
To bring the Executive arm of the government to account
It is the Executive arm of government consisting of the President and

Cabinet which is supposed to ensure that schools, clinics and communities have adequate resources.

Parliament through parliamentarians is supposed to put in place laws and policies for the good governance of the country and it is assumed with good governance comes effective service delivery, allocation of resources and adequate social safety nets for vulnerable communities.

In a normal country, with a normal economy, normal MPs and a normal functional governance system and normal social security mechanisms, MPs do not have to use money from their pockets to develop constituencies as this is not their primary purpose and function.

However, the collapse of the economy and with it the collapse of service delivery to pre-1960 levels has forced some MPs to become mini relief agencies at the expense of crafting legislation for the good governance of the country.

Surely in a normal country with a normal health delivery system an MP does not have to use his or her resources to mobilise free medical services for a community since this would already be in place through a health delivery system, which meets the demands of the citizenry.

In our context, however, and in other contexts in Africa it is permissible and beneficial to engage in development projects as an MP even though this is not the primary function of legislators.

It is therefore tragic when one reads some State-controlled publications, which focus on the number of projects that an MP has done and not how they have contributed to the formulation of laws and policies for the good governance of the country.

This would then translate to investment, growth, greater economic opportunities and activities hopefully accompanied by sufficient state revenue to provide capital for community and infrastructural development.

Even non-governmental organisations are there to complement the development projects of government in as far as developmental projects are concerned especially infrastructural development.

The government, however, may be unable or unwilling or unable and unwilling to initiate such development projects resulting in individuals and organisations initiating such projects.

Currently the government is largely willing, but largely unable to engage in such massive development or social development projects, thus necessitating the interventions from opportunistic or enterprising MPs.

This has been worsened by the introduction of the Constituency Development Fund which has been used and abused in some cases by MPs.

I note though that the fund also exists in other countries such as Kenya.

However, if a country has an effective local, provincial and central governance framework with clearly defined revenue and development strategy through existing structures, agencies and organs there would be no need for such a fund as basic services would be delivered through those relevant organs and not members of parliament.

MPs are supposed to be then exercising an oversight role in the allocation of public funds, state resources, efficacy of governance or economic delivery systems and social security nets.

In the absence of such a system MPs and aspiring MPs will continue majoring on what should be a minor for them.

Legislators should focus on law making and citizens should be able to track the contribution of their representatives through parliamentary debates aired live on television and radio as once suggested by David Coltart.

Gone are the days of the legendary Sydney Malunga, Lazarus Nzarayebani, Micah Bhebhe, Ruth Chinamano, Byron Hove, Steven Jeqe Nkomo who gave Cabinet ministers a torrid time in their hey days in the early ’80s.

We need more such MPs who are able to articulate the need and concerns of constituents linking this with legislative, policy-making processes.

A robust Parliament should keep the executive in check and not be obsessed with allowances. This is part of the problem of electing unemployed and unemployable legislators in the words of David Lloyd George “accidentally chosen from the ranks of the unemployed”.

We are also tired of sleeping MPs some of whom waffle in their sleep as well as missing persons masquerading as MPs who vanish for five years and reappear during election time. They should be given the boot.

Dumisani Nkomo is an activist and opinion leader

The Zimbabwean 

By Edgar Gweshe

16 July 2013

The credibility of the next general election slated for July 31 is critical in improving efficiency and restoring sanity to the country’s education sector, the Minister of Education, Sport, Art and Culture, David Coltart, has said.

Coltart told The Zimbabwean in a telephone interview that credible elections would ensure that policies implemented during the tenure of the inclusive government which had improved the education sector would continue to be improved.

He said that continued donor support for the country’s education sector hinges on the outcome of the next elections hence the need for Zimbabwe to ensure the polls are as credible as possible.

In May, the European Union delegation to Zimbabwe contributed $17 million to the second phase of the Education Transition Fund which has seen Zimbabwe reaching a 1:1 pupil/textbook ratio.

This month, EU head of delegation, Aldo Dell Ariccia, told The Zimbabwean that the continental block was ready to increase funding to developmental projects in Zimbabwe working with a government that comes out of free, fair, transparent and credible polls.

“The elections must be credible and after the elections, it’s important to ensure that policies that had been put in place continue to be implemented. Already, we have money that is waiting to be spent on a variety of projects and without donor support, it’s hard to think where the money to fund the education sector will come from,” said Coltart.

Coltart warned that sham polls would likely reverse progress made so far in restoring sanity to the education sector in Zimbabwe.

“In the last four years, we have stabilised the education sector and now, we are supposed to implement a variety of programmes to improve the efficiency and quality of the education sector.

Obviously, there will be a huge concern whether policies implemented over the past four years will continue to be implemented.

“My worry is that if the policies we have implemented over the past four years are going to be reversed after the election, that will have a very negative effect on efforts to restore sanity to the education sector,” said Coltart.

Coltart expressed concern that some political activists from some parts of the country were failing to heed calls to desist from using learning institution for political activities.

“I am still concerned about schools being used for political rallies but I haven’t yet received reports of teachers being kidnapped,” said Coltart.

Last month, the Secretary General of the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe, Raymond Majongwe told The Zimbabwean that victimisation of teachers in some rural areas had escalated ahead of elections.

He said teachers were being victimised for their alleged allegiance to the MDC-T.

Daily News

By Sakheleni Nxumalo

15 July 2013

BULAWAYO – Former Zimbabwe national cricket team captain and bowling coach Heath Streak will on July 31 launch the Heath Streak Consultancy and Sports Development initiative which is aimed at developing cricket in the country.

Addressing a press conference to announce the launch date last Saturday, Streak said his wish is to assist talented youngsters realise their dreams.

“For me this is just another opportunity to assist aspiring cricketers and I want to provide opportunities for youngsters to take their game to the highest level,” said Streak.

“We are in the process of setting up an academy in Bulawayo and we have since shortlisted two potential venues but our works will not be restricted to one place as we want to develop the sport in even the remotest parts of the country.”

Present during the press conference were Streak’s agent Joseph Rego and Bulawayo businessman Raji Modi.

Rego, is the chief executive officer of the Heath Streak Consultancy and was also instrumental in the setting up of the India-based Heath Streak Foundation in 2012.

In his speech at the press conference, Rego said Streak’s initiative has the potential to benefit the country.

“My dream is to focus on sustaining this wonderful project and I shall ensure that the academy, which Heath is in the process of setting up, enjoys solid support not only from Zimbabwean companies but from India as well,” Rego said.

“This initiative will benefit the country immensely in identifying, promoting and supporting talent. It will help Zimbabwe regain past sporting glory.”

The launch is set for the Holiday Inn and is bankrolled by Modi through his retail company, Bellevue Spar.

Modi was full of praise for Streak and pledged his continued support for the former national team skipper.

“Streak has a special place in his heart for young cricketers from an underprivileged background and I am happy to sponsor this wonderful initiative because I sincerely believe that sport and education are a basic human right for every child,” said Modi.

The minister of Sport David Coltart, will be the guest of honour at the launch which will also be graced by members of the Zimbabwe and India national teams.

Zimbabwe will host India at Queens Sports Club at the end of this month and an invite has been extended to the two teams to attend the launch which will include a fund raising dinner.

News Day

By News Day Reporter

15 July 2013

EDUCATION minister David Coltart says the country’s high HIV and Aids prevalence has taken its toll on the education sector with several schoolchildren either failing to attend classes as they have to look after sick family members or were themselves infected with the disease.

Addressing a Third Ministers’ Youth World Forum at Busan in Korea last week, Coltart said: “There are serious deficiencies in our education system and Zimbabwe, along with many African countries, has an unacceptably high prevalence of HIV and Aids and many youths either have the disease themselves or have to look after family members who do have the disease.

“Youths are often provided with very poor examples of sexual morality by their elders which compounds the problem because in Zimbabwe, many men have what are called euphemistically ‘small houses’, namely mistresses, and many young women fall prey to so-called ‘sugar daddies’ who are older men who use their money and status in society to subvert these young women,” he said.

Coltart cited pornography watching by youths through the Internet as compounding problems of promiscuity.

The minister also expressed concern over the country’s high unemployment rate, saying over 200 000 students graduated from tertiary institutions annually, but a few were absorbed into the formal employment sector.

“Despite Zimbabwe’s massive economic potential, our unemployment rate in the formal sector is very high and most children who graduate from school cannot hope to go into tertiary education or obtain employment in the formal sector,” he said.

Zimbabwe’s unemployment is estimated at over 80%.

“Even the word ‘youth’ in Zimbabwe is controversial in some quarters.

It is sometimes used as a pejorative term because in the past, so-called youth brigades had been associated with political violence.

The youth of Zimbabwe for several decades have had to overcome a variety of obstacles,” Coltart added.

The Independent

By Kevin Mapasure

12 July 2013

The Zimbabwe Football Trust is writhing in agony from a government brushoff in its bid to turn around the financial fortunes of the local game, but has set out on a mission to establish a hotel to help the most popular sport generate some desperately needed income.

The government has declined to act as a guarantor for the Zimbabwe Football Trust in its bid to get a two-year loan facility with three local banks.

The Trust is mandated to help a debt-ridden Zifa, but they too have already fallen into liability due to the national teams’ commitments as Zifa continues to plunge further into the depths of despair.

The Trust’s chairman retired Colonel Tshinga Dube told IndependentSport that they had written to the Sports ministry requesting guarantees for a loan from three local banks.

The loan facility would have been used for other income generating projects. Sports minister David Coltart said his office had not received such a request.

Funds have been hard to come by for the Trust and the famed “Dollar for Football” project, which saw the organisation take its begging bowls to the fans for donations, got off to a slow start with the Trust raising US$200 only during the home match against Egypt.

“We were hoping that if we got that guarantee letter we would be able to get money from banks with arrangements of re-payment plan of two years,” said Dube. “Such an arrangement would have helped offset some of the pressure emanating from the Warriors fixtures. But the problem is that the relevant ministry has not even replied our letter. Under these circumstances we will continue to have the same problems that we had in the run up to the Guinea trip. We have no money. The Trust is in debt of around US$200 000 which we owe hotels, banks and travel agents. Some of the members used their own resources to pay hotel bills.”

To secure funds for the Warriors’ trip to Conakry, Dube said he had to provide title deeds to his properties to make the trip possible and avoid Fifa sanctions.Dube said under the circumstances the Warriors were operating, people should not expect good results and they should not blame Zifa because of government’s failure.

“We are always scrounging for basic things like air tickets while other teams are focusing on important things.

“We play against serious football nations with this kind of attitude and expect good results. It’s a miracle that we only lost 1-0 to Guinea. We blame the players and coaches but we fail to address real issues. If you want good performances you should pay. Other countries have a budget for sport. If we continue with this casual approach we will always be a laughing stock.”

But it is not all gloomy for the Trust as they move closer to clinching a deal that will see the construction of a hotel and Casino on a piece of land they acquired.

“We are talking to a company over a deal to construct a hotel on our piece of land, which would help generate some income for football. The advantage is its proximity to the airport . We have other ideas that we hope to implement but we need support.”

The Warriors yesterday had smooth travel arrangements when Zifa president Cuthbert Dube dug into his own coffers to finance a chartered plane to fly the team to Zambia for the Cosafa Cup.