Home | Sports | APPOINT NORMALISATION COMMITTEE

APPOINT NORMALISATION COMMITTEE

27/09/2022 08:58:00 Straight Talk with Ashmond Nzima

Font size:

Footage from this past Sunday’s HRFA elective general assembly painted a picture of a seriously divided organisation.

It was a total chaos during the Hhohho Regional Football Association (HRFA) meeting held at Mhlatane High School in Pigg’s Peak, as some delegates literally marched to the podium and demanded to be given a chance to make submissions. Then came the most dramatic moment when some of the delegates who were nominated for the elections were suspended based on a motion. Their felony was the decision to illegally form an interim committee behind the football structures’ back on top of taking the Hhohho FA to court. Yes, you heard it right; they were suspended right inside the hall through the motion without allowing the process to go through the vote. This left much to be desired. How were they in the nomination list in the first place if they were suspended? For starters, an Ethics Committee chaired by Pigg’s Peak Senior Magistrate Siphosini Dlamini now oversees such elections. This is an independent body that was given a mandate to conduct Eswatini Football Association (EFA) elections and that of its affiliates from last year.

elections

The committee oversees the elections under the guidance of the EFA Electoral Code. So the committee’s interest in Mhlatane was in the last item of the agenda - the elections. However, based on the developments on the day, it became clear to all and sundry that it would be difficult to conduct free and fair elections. “We were told by the executive committee that some of those who were candidates for the elections have been suspended. According to the constitution, if you have been suspended, you cannot stand for elections. We further want to put it to light that it is the same constitution that gives the general assembly the power to suspend members. We, therefore, call off the elections and we will report to Eswatini Football Association (EFA) on why we felt it was not right to continue this last item,” said the Senior Magistrate when announcing the decision to defer the elections. The situation on the ground leading to the polls warranted the elections to be put off. So, the Ethics Committee cannot be faulted because they reacted based on the report they got from the executive. With that said, the fact that the same candidates who were dramatically suspended on the day were vetted by the same committee cannot be ignored.

deferment

After the deferment of the elections, the expectation is that an extraordinary meeting be held to continue with the remaining agenda item (elections). Who will contest when several candidates are suspended? Based on the above, the volatile situation in HRFA is far from being normal. In fact, at this stage, you cannot use Hhohho FA and normal in the same sentence. That is where the football mother body, EFA, has to come in by appointing a Normalisation Committee (NC) following a series of irregularities headlined by the suspension of the other candidates under unclear circumstances.

transparent

In order to guarantee that the Hhohho FA can hold transparent and fair elections as well as help restore trust among all football stakeholders in the country, the NC’s mandate will include running the daily affairs of the association. The NC, together with EFA, can determine, whether there is a need to revise specific provisions of the Hhohho FA Statutes and Electoral Code in relation to the electoral process. The NC should consist of a suitable number of members, who will be appointed jointly by EFA and the Ethics Committee as soon as possible. All members of the normalisation committee should be subject to an eligibility check to be carried out by the EFA’s Ethics Committee. None of the members of the normalisation committee will be eligible for the positions to be filled during the upcoming elections of the Hhohho FA under any circumstances. The duties of the Ethics Committee should stretch beyond vetting the candidates and conducting the elections. They should do business like the country’s Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) by being involved even in the nominations exercise.
The normalisation committee should perform its functions by no later than December 31 this year.

recall

Those who are not wet behind their ears when it comes to the country’s football administration do not need to have their memories jogged to recall that NCs are not foreign here in Eswatini. Back in 2016, a Mlimi Mamba-chaired NC was put in place in the Shiselweni Regional Football Association (SRFA) by the Adam ‘Bomber’ Mthethwa-led EFA Executive Committee following alleged irregularities in the regional body. Like Hhohho FA, SRFA is also an affiliate of the country’s football mother body. A day after the elections, the Mashumi Shongwe-led Executive Committee was ousted by the EFA. Shongwe was sidelined following his decision to stand for the elections while still EFA vice president at the time. His decision was adjudged to be in breach of the EFA Statutes. Never mind that the Normalisation overstayed its welcome. It is no use wasting ink on developments that followed. At the end, football was the winner.

Back to the Hhohho situation, there is no guarantee that the extraordinary meeting will provide a free and fair environment for the elections to be conducted. As a result, the NC is the way out to ensure the situation does not spiral out of control. No prejudice will be suffered by the outgoing executive if the NC comes on board, as the former’s term of office is already over.
With an increase in lined-up tournaments, the earlier the Hhohho FA situation gets solved, the better. The kick-off of the new season is already overdue, if they are to revert to the normal football calendar.