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Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter

ONLY 304 members turned up for Highlanders’ elective meeting on Sunday to choose a chairman, secretary and committee member.

The turnout represents a paltry 6.7 percent of the 4 538 members in the club’s register.

It’s incomprehensible that a club as old and well supported like Bosso has such little membership and that less than 10 percent of that small membership actually determine the club’s roadmap by electing an executive to run its affairs for three years.

Sunday’s turnout was about three times more than those that attended the annual general meeting the previous Sunday.

Where are the thousands that turn up for the club’s matches at Barbourfields Stadium?

On average, Bosso home games are watched by about 5 000 spectators and it’s sad that they leave club issues in the hands of just 300 members.

Are the thousands diehard spectators not interested in the direction their club should be taking or they just enjoy watching the team playing?

Members from Matabeleland North, particularly Victoria Falls, Hwange and Lupane, formed the biggest voting bloc on Sunday.

Johnfat Sibanda, beat incumbent Kenneth Mhlophe by five votes, polling 154 to Mhlophe’s 149 for the chairmanship’s post, while Morgen ‘Gazza’ Dube, polled 212 to Israel Moyo’s 91 in the race for the secretary’s post.

Mgcini Mafu stunned favourite Bheka Sibanda by polling 176 votes to land the committee member’s role. Sibanda got 128 vote.

This turnout can’t even be compared to the lowest Bosso match attendance at any venue in the country.

Despite the low turnout, there was celebration and pain when the Highlanders’ nomination court secretary Cosmos Sikhosana announced the results standing on the steps of the club’s northern door entrance with board chairman Luke Mnkandla standing next him.

“In the end it’s Highlanders that has won; I shall now be telling you who will lead the club for the next three years,” said Sikhosana before announcing the results.

There was an emotional moment when after the results, it was party time with members and supporters from both the Mhlophe and Sibanda camp mingling and preaching unity.

“You have won guys, as those who were against us, but at the end of the day we are Highlanders, we are Bosso, let Highlanders move foward,” said one member congratulating Sibanda.