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Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter
EASTERN Region-based side Tenax have officially been admitted into the Premier Soccer League after clearing their affiliation dues yesterday, the same day it emerged that Herentals never withdrew their High Court case against the PSL.

Another Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services side Whawha from Gweru are yet to pay their affiliation fees and the PSL revealed that it will be releasing a statement on its position today.

“The Premier Soccer League emergency committee has resolved to admit Tenax as a member of the PSL after the club made full payment of the membership, subscription fees and security deposit. The club is expected to submit its player registration documents by 31st March 2020 in preparation for the (delayed) 2020 Castle Lager PSL season,” PSL spokesperson Kudzai Bare said in a statement yesterday.

The total amount paid is $208 010, broken down as $107 841.25 in affiliation fees, $51 150 as security deposit and $49 018.75 as subscription fees.

Meanwhile, Herentals, who were expelled from the PSL recently for taking football matters to court and failing to withdraw the case from the court have, in fact, not withdrawn it despite claims by The Students’ secretary-general Fainos Madhumbu to the contrary.

Herentals were demoted last year after being found guilty by the PSL in a match-fixing saga involving Black Rhinos.

The PSL disciplinary committee docked them three points and fined them $300 000 after a full trial.

Oliver Chirenga, the man who was allegedly the middleman in the scam, was fined $20 000 and slapped with a 10-year ban.

Herentals approached the High Court for recourse and also appealed to the Zifa appeals board.

However, the PSL said its regulations encouraged aggrieved parties to follow football channels when disputes arise.

Herentals apologised and indicated that they were withdrawing the matter from the courts.

Cornered to provide documentary evidence showing that they had withdrawn the case, Madhumbu yesterday said the only evidence they have was a letter instructing their lawyer to withdraw.

“We do not have any documentary evidence showing that the matter was withdrawn.

“We only have a letter we wrote to our lawyer instructing him to withdraw the case from the High Court, not papers showing that he actually did,” said Madhumbu.

A source at the High Court, however, said withdrawing a case was not as easy as Herentals think.

The source said in any case the charge Herentals was facing is taking a football matter to court, and not failure to withdraw a court case.

“I’m sure they had filed a court application or an urgent chamber application. An application is withdrawn by filing a notice of withdrawal in the prescribed form with the registrar of the court and serving copies on all the other parties. It’s not that easy though because the court may still have an interest in the matter,” said the source.

“There is the question of the wasted costs of those sued which the court must still decide. In any event, the charge is taking a dispute to court not finalising it in court.”