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Sikhumbuzo Moyo Senior Sports Reporter
FORMER Highlanders medic and first team manager Emmet Ndlovu has been named as one of the candidates eyeing the position of secretary general of the club during next year’s elections.

Ndlovu, who was an employee of the club for close to two decades, starting as a volunteer in 1990, being employed as a team medic in 1991 before the Ernest Maphepha Sibanda executive hired him as team manager in 2006, said he was still busy consulting.

“At the moment all I can say is that I’m consulting relevant people as well as members of this great institution,” said Ndlovu who lost to outgoing incumbent Andrew Tapela during the 2012 election after he polled 147 votes to Tapela’s 153. Another aspiring candidate Donald Ndebele had 55 people voting for him.

The elections also ushered in Peter Dube who beat then incumbent Themba Ndlela in the race for the chairmanship with a total of 184 votes while Ndlela polled 143. Mandla Moyo got 23.

Charles Moyo won the committee member’s contest with 130 votes, eight more than Wisdom Mabhena while Dumisani Mabhena got 99.

All the three posts are up for grabs in February next year.

Asked to comment on the role he played in the disappearance of part of Obadiah Tarumbwa’s transfer funds, Ndlovu, the last manager to win a championship medal with Highlanders, rubbished claims linking him to the scandal.

“I’ve heard of those malicious claims that I was part of the masterminds to the Tarumbwa deal but the answer to that is simple; the people who had a hand in that were interviewed, confessed and were duly punished by the club. Emmet Ndlovu wasn’t part of those people interrogated and besides why was I allowed to contest the 2012 elections if my hands were dirty?” he asked.

Former chairman, Maphepha-Sibanda was found guilty in the Tarumbwa case and banned from attending any club activity for three years. He was barred from setting foot on any of the three Highlanders properties in the city, the club house, club office and Hotel California (Luveve house) while some of the privileges extended to former Highlanders office bearers were removed. He later appealed to the board who pardoned him.

Sibanda and a city businessman are said to be interested in challenging Dube for the chairmanship position next year while claims are also mounting by the day that a sitting board member has been approached to step down from the board and run for the executive chairmanship.

Wisdom is reported to be considering running for the committee member’s position once more with a former player eyeing the same post.

Dube and Moyo are yet to state their position on whether they will seek another term in office or not while Tapela’s constitutional term has come to an end.