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Cleopas Dube

Ricky Zililo Senior Sports Reporter
STRUGGLING Bulawayo giants Highlanders have engaged the South African Football Association (Safa) through Zifa in a desperate effort to recover $22 392 in transfer fees for Cleopas Dube, who joined Witbank Spurs in 2014. Bosso sold Dube to Spurs in 2014 for $30 000, but to date, the Mpumalanga province-based National First Division side has only paid $7 608.

Highlanders’ chief executive officer Ndumiso Gumede said they had to engage Safa through Zifa, as Spurs were not responding to their letters of demand. Bosso started pursuing the money last year after the South African side defaulted on its initial plan to pay the first $10 000 upon receipt of Dube’s international clearance, with the rest being settled before the start of the 2015 season.

Spurs have since sold Dube to newly promoted South African Premier Soccer League side FC Baroka for around R700 000. Gumede said they would also pursue the 20 percent they are entitled to from Dube’s transfer fee from Spurs to Baroka.

“We asked Zifa to assist us recover our money from Witbank Spurs for the sale of Cleopas Dube, who moved there in 2014. It’s a pity that we’ve been forced to take this route because Witbank Spurs have not been acting in good faith. When they learnt that we’ve reported them to Safa, last week they reacted by depositing $1 400 into our bank account. We’re not happy with the fact that they are paying us in dribs and drabs,” said Gumede.

“When the striker moved to Witbank Spurs, we included a sale-on clause indicating that we will get 20 percent should he move. They sold him to Baroka and we’re getting reports that he was sold for R700 000, meaning that we’re entitled to R140 000.”

Dube, who scored 13 goals for Spurs in the 2015-16 First Division and finished as runner-up in the top goal scorers’ to Baroka’s Thabiso Kutumela, had also attracted pre-season interests from Bloemfontein Celtics, Free State Stars and Golden Arrows.

He then settled for Baroka being a direct replacement for Kutumela, who joined giants Orlando Pirates. Highlanders are in desperate need for cash to ease their ballooning debt, which is just under $1 million.

If they recover their dues from Spurs, the money will go a long way in covering some of their day-to-day expenses. – @ZililoR