Mighty Warriors Coach Shadreck Mlauzi appeared in court charged with indecent assault after allegedly grabbing a female technical staff member.
The Zimbabwe women’s football team coach allegedly demanded tlof tlof from a female assistant coach before and during the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA) Women’s Cup tournament in South Africa.
Mlauzi (43) appeared before Harare magistrate Yeukai Dzuda on Tuesday and was remanded in custody until his bail hearing on 18 October 2023. He has not commented on the allegations.
According to the complaint, On 26 September, the Mighty Warriors were staying at Pandari Lodge in Glen Lorne, preparing for the COSAFA tournament. She asked the coach for the training program. Mlauzi told her to get it from his room.
She went to his room later to get the program, but he said he’d email it to her. Then, he made an inappropriate request, asking her to kiss him on the lips. He forcibly tried to kiss her and asked for a massage and tlof tlof, which she refused.
On 4 October, when they were in South Africa, Mlauzi asked the technical staff member to come and massage him. He gave her money for resistance bands the next day but also inappropriately touched her bum. Mlauzi continued harassing her, leading her to report the incidents to the COSAFA Safeguarding Officer, who provided counselling.
Last week, ZIFA confirmed that it was investigating a senior women’s coaching team member over allegations of s_xual misconduct. Mlauzi was not on the touchline for Zimbabwe’s semi-final defeat by Zambia but returned to the dugout for the third-place playoff defeat by Mozambique on Sunday.
The allegations have shocked the football community in Zimbabwe and beyond and have raised concerns over the safety and welfare of female players and staff in the sport. Cosafa and ZIFA have pledged to take a dim view of the matter and conduct independent investigations.
Source iHarare
