ZIFA Elections: Court Rules Against Walter Magaya
"The applicant would be required to produce an O’ Level certificate even if he holds a PhD” - Justice Chitapi

ZIFA Elections: Court Rules Against Walter Magaya
Walter Magaya’s dream of becoming the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) president has been dashed.
The High Court upheld the ZIFA Normalisation Committee’s decision to disqualify him from the elections due to his failure to produce the required Ordinary Level (O' Level) certificate.
Magaya had turned to the High Court in an attempt to overturn the decision, but Justice Tawanda Chitapi ruled against him on Thursday.
This means Magaya is officially out of the race for Saturday’s ZIFA elections.
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In his ruling, Justice Chitapi noted that Magaya’s claim of possessing a diploma from the University of South Africa (UNISA), which he argued surpassed the O' Level requirement, was insufficient.
ZIFA Elections: Court Rules Against Walter Magaya
The judge added that even individuals with PhDs must still provide proof of an O' Level certificate to meet the stipulated criteria.
“I accept that the minimum was a pass with 5 O’ Levels. A requirement to have 5 O’ Levels must be met. Just for the avoidance of doubt, if one relies on a diploma, the issue is not that a diploma is higher than O’ Level. The applicant would be required to produce an O’ Level certificate even if he holds a PhD,” Justice Chitapi said.
The judge noted that Magaya did not provide enough information to challenge the Normalisation Committee’s decision, describing his approach as less than transparent.
“In the present matter, the applicant has been coy in disclosing further information regarding his qualifications to correct the committee’s decision. The challenge by the applicant cannot succeed,” he added.
As a result, Magaya’s application was dismissed, and the court ordered that each party bear its own legal costs.