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Ndumiso Gumede (left) and Mgcini Nkolomi

Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter
HIGHLANDERS will not raise any leadership crisis flag following the shock suspensions of chairman Peter Dube and chief executive officer Ndumiso Gumede, with the club last night boldly declaring that the status quo remains unchanged.

Zifa president Philip Chiyangwa made the suspension announcement on Monday night, saying  Dube and Gumede had violated sections of the Zifa constitution through alleged acts of misconduct.

According to Zifa, Dube will face Zifa disciplinary action.

Highlanders board chairman Mgcini Nkolomi said they had not received any official communication regarding the suspensions of their chairman and CEO.

“Highlanders is an institution; we are not of no fixed abode and as such we can’t learn of issues through the media and hence can’t panic and make announcements based on that.

“As it is, the status quo at the club remains,” said Nkolomi last night.

He said there was no leadership crisis at the club.

“My appeal to our followers is for them to remain calm, the ship is sailing normally. Look we are an organisation that has offices and as I said we can’t be responding to newspaper reports on such issues, but we are also aware that all these issues are as a result of extra duties which our chairman and chief executive officer do outside this institution which we might not have jurisdiction over as a club and probably this is where it’s being dealt with, but as a Highlanders we are not in a leadership crisis, we never were,” said Nkolomi.

Zifa alleged that Dube contravened Article 1.15 of Schedule 11 of the Zifa Rules and Regulations by unlawfully interrupting formal proceedings during a Zifa congress. He is also charged with attempting to incite chaos by urging PSL club representatives to denounce lawfully made resolutions.

Zifa also accuses the Bosso boss of attending the meeting as a Highlanders’ representative, while he is a Zifa executive committee member.

Gumede’s crime, according to Zifa, is that he wrote to Fifa in support of a bid by some disgruntled members to overthrow the Chiyangwa-led board.

Gumede is also accused of seeking to destabilise “smooth football administration” by establishing a bogus parallel structure which operated as a Zifa Working Committee in an attempt to seize control of Zifa.