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Ngqwele Dube, Sports Correspondent
HIGHLANDERS FC supporters have called on Zifa to immediately lift the suspensions of club chairman Peter Dube and chief executive officer, Ndumiso Gumede.

Chairpersons of different Bosso supporters’ chapters issued a statement on Wednesday saying that the two should only have been sidelined from Zifa and Premier Soccer League (PSL) and not the club.

The branch chairpersons that signed the statement include Daniel Molokele (South Africa), Morgen Dube (Victoria Falls), Derrick Ncube (Harare), Qobolwakhe Mayisa (United Kingdom), Liqhwa Gama (Canada) and Ronnie Sibanda (Gwanda).

The supporters’ leaders expressed their continued support for their leaders.

“We as the Chairpersons of the various Highlanders FC Bosso supporters’ chapters both in Zimbabwe and in the Diaspora, would like to express our full solidarity with our leaders who were recently suspended under controversial circumstances.

“We would like to state plainly that we are fully behind our chairman Peter Dube and CEO Ndumiso Gumede.

“We are totally opposed to their suspensions by the Zimbabwe Football Association (Zifa). We also support every effort that is being undertaken to have their suspensions lifted,” read part of the statement.

The supporters called on Zifa to engage the relevant parties so as to urgently resolve the suspension of the two as it was negatively affecting the running of Highlanders.

They said Dube and Gumede’s roles at Highlanders should not have been affected.

“Our team is now being punished for matters that have nothing to do with Bosso,” said the supporters.

Dube and Gumede were suspended last month by the Zifa executive committee, with the former being accused of disrupting a Zifa assembly meeting held on October 29 alleging he was speaking with authority from the association’s president Philip Chiyangwa.

In suspending Dube, Zifa also claims the Bosso chairman urged other PSL clubs to walkout, something that the suspended leader denies, challenging Zifa to produce video evidence showing him inciting disorder since the meeting was recorded.

Dube is challenging his dismissal with his lawyers having written to Zifa querying his suspension while PSL clubs have also called for his reinstatement as the two bodies seek a solution to the relegation impasse.

Gumede’s crime according to Zifa is writing to Fifa in a bid to try and overturn the Chiyangwa-led board decision.

Gumede took Highlanders to the Labour Court challenging his dismissal and won.