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NDUMISO GUMEDE

Sikhumbuzo Moyo  Senior Sports Reporter
NEWLY appointed Highlanders chief executive officer and veteran football administrator Ndumiso Gumede says his heart bled when he saw the club’s net gate takings for the first time and was left convinced that the game of football was not getting a good deal from its various service providers.

So irate was Gumede that he has immediately set up an appointment with the Mayor of Bulawayo Martin Moyo and Officer Commanding ZRP Bulawayo province, Steven Mutamba, to try and reach common ground over the levies the city council charges the club and the fee paid to police officers during Premiership matches.

“I met the Mayor and the man in charge of police in Bulawayo to plead with them for a review of their levies. Highlanders is a Bulawayo team that brings so much to the city council and it can only be fair for the City Fathers to also listen to this club,” said Gumede.

The Bulawayo City Council charges $2,000 or 20 percent of gross gate takings which ever will be greater.

In the Independence Cup semi-final between Highlanders and FC Platinum, 6,912 fans paid their way into the stadium with a gross total of $26,010 being realised.

The City Council received $4,644 while Bosso and Kugona Kunenge Kudada received a paltry $346 each. It was the least amount compared to every other service provider that was at the stadium on the day.

“Surely we cannot say that is a fair business deal,” said Gumede.

A research by Chronicle Sport revealed that management of FNB Stadium as well as those of Peter Mokaba in Polokwane, South Africa, actually pay giants Kaizer Chiefs to play in those stadiums upon realising that the venues might turn into white elephants.

On the police levies, the veteran administrator, who did not seek re-election as Zifa vice president in the March election, said his discussion with the officer commanding police centred on the number of officers as well as their fees per rank.

“While I would not want to really divulge what I discussed with the two esteemed gentlemen, I can confirm that they seemed quite understanding and both asked for a position paper before they get back to us,” said Gumede.

The police rates are per hour and per rank with the figure going up the higher the rank of a detail.

There has been suggestions that instead of paying individual police details, a nationally gazetted figure could be deposited into a police welfare or sports fund. Those in charge of that police welfare  fund would decide how they wish to distribute it especially towards the many recreational facilities that the force has.