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Sikhumbuzo Moyo  Senior Sports Reporter
LOSING 2012 Highlanders secretary general candidate Donald Ndebele has become the first person to officially declare his candidature for the same post next year.Other members whose names have been touted have not officially declared whether they will stand or not.

Highlanders members go into an election in the first week of February next year to choose the chairman, secretary general and committee member.

Two of the three incumbents, Peter Dube and Charles Moyo are eligible to seek re-election, secretary general Andrew Tapela is barred by the constitution after serving his two terms. Dube and Moyo have not made public their position although they have reportedly confided to their close associates that they will seek re-election.

Ndebele, who lost the 2012 election after garnering 55 votes to Tapela’s 153 and Emmet Ndlovu’s 147, said he was confident that he had done his homework.

“Yes I’m standing for election again. I believe I’ve a lot to offer my club,” said Ndebele, a Bulawayo businessman.

He will square off with Ndlovu again and one Malaba from Plumtree whose name was being touted at the Highlanders club house on Sunday.

Ndlovu, the former team medic and manager, has not officially declared his intentions but that is just academic as his agents are already busy on the ground campaigning. He narrowly lost to Tapela in 2012 and seems to have the confidence that this time around his dream will come true.

Election temperatures have already started rising with the usual cliques starting to emerge at the club house with the subject of their discussion being the elections.

Former players are also reportedly eager to second one of their own as they seek to have a say in the way the club is run.