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Leroy Maplanka

Sikhumbuzo Moyo Senior Sports Reporter
HIGHLANDERS’ annual general meetings have been described as mere social gatherings that have failed to come up with tangible resolutions meant to take the club forward.The meetings have become so monotonous and predictable that some members see no reason to continue attending because of their predictability.

This was said by one of the masterminds behind the petition that seeks to bring forward the club’s annual general meeting and consequently the elections, Leroy Maplanka.

Chronicle Sport is reliably informed that the  idea of signing a petition was mooted by five life members.

Maplanka said members often fail to make any meaningful contribution during the AGM because they no longer have faith in the gathering.

“For the record, we are not stopping with our petition, the wheels are already in motion. What made us raise our grievances through the form of a petition was that over the years we have realised that our AGMs are mere talk shows, nothing tangible comes out of that gathering. Many a time we have agreed on something but even before the ink has dried, we see the complete opposite of what members would have agreed on,” said Maplanka.

He said their fear was that if they put a notice as per club constitution, they would be merely wasting time as the due notice agenda is the last item on the agenda and by the time the meeting gets to that, members would be too tired to deliberate on it.

Maplanka said they now have more than 80 signatures and counting.

“The Constitution says we must have a minimum of 100 paid up members to push a motion and once we get that we will then approach the executive so that they set up a meeting. They can’t say no to it, its enshrined in the Constitution. We only have one agenda which is why we are hopeful that it will be properly digested as a stand alone issue instead of waiting for the January meeting,” said Maplanka.

The petition, seen by Chronicle Sport, is addressed to the club secretary Andrew Tapela and referenced; Notice of intention to hold an extra ordinary general meeting as per Article 17 of the Highlanders Football Club Constitution 2006.

The agenda will be amendment to the Constitution of Article 16:1 of the HFC Constitution.

“Like previously said, we want to amend the Constitution and whether the implementation is in 2015, that is fine with us. We are worried about the time lost from the end of the season up to February. We will be doing nothing as a club when others will be busy beefing up their squads and when we are eventually ready after the elections in February, only chaff will be left on the market,” said Maplanka.

A long serving Highlanders life member said one of the major reasons the  annual general meeting was pushed to January was to allow for an emotion de-stress period.

“It was noted that football is an emotional game and if we are to have our annual meeting immediately after the end of the season, emotions would still be high especially if things did not go well on the field like this season and meetings under those circumstances are really not encouraged but by January we would have gone through the natural emotion de-stress route,” said the life member.

Maplanka said the emotion issue   cannot stop the club from moving forward.