Zimpapers Logo

Dingilizwe Ntuli, Sports Editor
LONG-TIME Highlanders benefactor and member Tshinga Dube has called for cool heads to prevail to end an alarmist atmosphere at the club created by some people following the leadership’s meeting with President Mnangagwa at State House in Bulawayo last Thursday.

President Mnangagwa met Highlanders’ board chairman Luke Mnkandla, executive chairman Kenneth Mhlophe, treasurer Donald Ndebele and chief executive officer Nhlanhla Dube.

The Bosso delegation briefed the President on progress made in the club’s proposed gold mining venture to ease its financial woes after their acquisition of a claim in Inyathi with the assistance of the Government.

Some people took to social media platforms, Facebook and Twitter, to denounce the meeting, claiming that Highlanders were being hijacked for political expedience.

Dube yesterday dismissed the political claims as baseless, saying the Highlanders leadership met the President to specifically talk about the club and football.

“There was no politics discussed, as these people are claiming since it wasn’t a political meeting. People forget that this is not the first time that the President has met Highlanders leaders. About five years ago when he was in Bulawayo, he met the club’s leadership to discuss football and was presented with a number 9 replica jersey just like what happened on Thursday. He was not the President then,” said Dube

“Any football club can have a meeting with the Head of State to discuss whatever issues affecting them and it’s unfair to term it a political meeting.”

Dube also waded into the mini-squabbling by club members last month when the board extended the executive committee’s tenure after indefinitely postponing the annual general meeting and elections in response to the refusal by authorities to grant the club a waiver for members to converge for the two events at the end of January and first week of last month.

Club members were set to elect a chairman, secretary-general and committee member whose three-year terms expired on February 7, but the board asked the current executive to stay on until the environment is suitable for an AGM and elections to be held.

However, some members questioned the board’s decree and equated it to a breach of the club’s constitution.

They demanded that chairman Kenneth Mhlophe, secretary-general Israel Moyo and committee member Wisdom Mabhena all step aside because their terms had expired.

They argued that vice-chairman Modern Ngwenya should take over the club’s reins in a caretaker role, with the board co-opting some members to fill remaining positions in the executive committee until elections are held.

Moyo resigned as secretary-general, stating that he did not want to be part of an illegality created by the board in extending the executive committee’s term.

Dube told Chronicle Sport he believes the board made the best possible decision given the fact that its request to gather for an AGM was denied.

“The environment hasn’t been favourable and the board’s hands were tied. It’s not like they extended the executive’s term to make it difficult for anybody that is contesting because if we were not in the current lockdown, the AGM and elections would have gone ahead,” said Dube.

“Eventually the AGM will be held, paving way for the elections and those whose nominations were accepted will contest. I believe this executive has performed well.

“There is no football being played and I don’t understand why we are squabbling. Unfortunately for some, it’s about ambition and not about the team.”

The executive, he said, had done well in trying to unlock alternative revenue streams to try and make Bosso self-sustainable as the club has remained afloat by constantly begging.

Dube also appealed for unity of purpose within the club for its planned mining venture to be viable.

“All our problems have been and continue to be due to lack of funds. We haven’t won the league championship for a very long time because we don’t have money to hold onto our best players. If we can pay players well, we will attract the best. We can’t continue having individuals paying coaches. That’s the club’s job. What happens if those individuals can no longer afford to pay? We lose the coach and that negatively affects the team.

“So, we are excited by the idea of the mining project, which I believe can work if done properly. The board and executive must treat this as a strictly business venture for the benefit of the club. The mining venture should be structured just like a company, with a qualified and capable management team,” Dube said.

He also said football should be allowed to resume under strict World Health Organisation regulations, even without fans as keeping it suspended would do more harm to the local game.

“We can’t go on crying about gate takings. They contribute very little to the team’s income and that’s why we are happy that the Highlanders executive has been working hard to look for other sources of income to keep the team going.”

Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation Minister Kirsty Coventry told Parliament about a fortnight ago that sport will be allowed to return in a bio-bubble without spectators.