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Sikhumbuzo Moyo Senior Sports Reporter
HIGHLANDERS FC members took a giant leap towards modernising the 90-year-old club after overwhelmingly endorsing a motion to amend the constitution, paving way for Bosso to be run as a fully-fledged commercial entity.
The resolution was reached at the Highlanders’ annual general meeting held at the club house on Sunday.
A constitutional review committee was set up and given just over five months to gather views from club members and supporters before reporting back at the mid-year general meeting where it will be adopted as a legal document. It will then be registered with Zifa and the Sports and Recreation Commission.
“We must reform, move forward or die,” said chairman of the constitutional reform committee Elkanah Dube, who is also a member of the club’s board of directors.
After the expected adoption of the new guiding charter, members will then meet in 2017 to select a five-member board led by a chairman and vice-chairman, and in the process abolishing the posts of treasurer, secretary-general and committee member.
The present board of directors’ system will also fall away unless members, who will now be referred to as a congress, decide to retain it.
Members commended the club’s leadership for adopting the move.
“We really must commend the club leadership for such a wise move. This is the way to go and we want to go further and recommend that they (leadership) lead us through this process,” said club member Innocent Batsani Ncube.
Another prominent active member Daniel Molokele, who is based in South Africa, said the club must move with speed in implementing the resolution, which is in line with the Fifa club licensing dictates.
Former club committee member and secretary-general Nhlanhla Bahlangene Dube was also excited by the bold decision to transform Highlanders from being a community club into a commercial entity and reminded members to define how they will fit into the new system.
The constitutional issue was the only major resolution that members agreed on despite the meeting lasting more than seven hours.
With the club riddled with debts of over half a million dollars, the meeting did not come up with debt clearing strategies, particularly considering the frightening possibility of the BancABC sponsorship coming to an end in December this year.
Hopes are, however, high that the financial institution will renew its sponsorship.