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Ndumiso Gumede

Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter
HIGHLANDERS have distanced themselves from utterances made by board member Davies Ndumiso Sibanda last Friday that its expelled chief executive officer Ndumiso Gumede has been reinstated by the club following a Labour Court ruling.

The club said the status quo that was resolved during a joint board and executive meeting that the veteran administrator be suspended from his post in compliance with a Zifa directive still stands.

“The Highlanders position remains the same. The meeting we sat as a joint board and executive resolved to comply with a Zifa directive. Anything else that happens outside that resolution is not and will never be the position of Highlanders Football Club. We don’t want to be at variance with those who run football in this country, ” said the Highlanders secretary general Emmett Ndlovu. However we understand that there has been a ruling  at the Labour Court and the best person to comment on that is Davies Sibanda”.

Ndlovu is also the new spokesperson of the club in the new dispensation at the country’s oldest club that has seen vice chairman Modern Ngwenya taking over the reigns at the club on an acting capacity following the suspension of executive chairman Peter Dube by Zifa.

Gumede hauled his employer to the Labour Court last week challenging his suspension and Highlanders, who were ironically represented by Sibanda, did not challenge the application.

Meanwhile, it has since emerged that Sibanda could himself be in hot soup with his colleagues after he violated the club’s standing orders by signing the court papers which he has no jurisdiction over.

“Highlanders is known for its professionalism and adherence to the laws of the land but when a whole board member decides to go against those dictates then surely some action must be taken. No board member has authority to sign any document on behalf of the club, those are the duties of executive members,” said a board member.

The resolution to reinstate Gumede was signed by Sibanda, Gumede and a labour officer only identified as CA Muchunga.

“Members must not allow such things to happen because its setting a very bad precedence that people can willy nilly sign documents on behalf of the club simply because they are board members. In any event none of us knew about this whole move to go to the Labour Court. We had agreed that umdala is going on a one month leave on December 1 pending retirement, so what was the rush really? Just one week and someone chooses to embarrass us like that,” fumed the board member. He also questioned Sibanda’s authority to speak to the media on club issues.

While the club has its main spokesperson, the board usually speaks through its chairman who is Mgcini Nkolomi or board secretary Matthew Sibindi.