Online Reporter
Stanford Chiwanga, Quality Editor
TWO titans reduced to rubble. Zimbabwean football’s colossal figures, Highlanders and Dynamos, are not just limping; they are crawling, mortally wounded, into the final fixture of the season. They arrive not as title contenders, but as desperate, pitiful survivors fighting the drop. These storied institutions, once the pride of Zimbabwe and revered across the continent, are now scrapping for their lives like the lowliest of village clubs.
This ignominious decline — this surrender of our proud heritage — is neither a capricious misfortune nor an inevitable destiny. It is the direct, unvarnished consequence of catastrophic, criminal incompetence at the very top.
The culprits in this rot are numerous, a collective failure demanding accountability. But at the apex of this disaster, bearing the final, indelible stain of responsibility, stand Luke Mnkandla, Kenneth Mhlophe, and Bernard Marriot Lusengo. These men have shamefully presided over the systematic, deliberate obliteration of our footballing legacy.
They have not merely mismanaged; they have acted as architects of our ruin, turning storied clubs into derelict shells.
They must be removed. Whether these disgraced clubs somehow stumble to safety in the Premier Soccer League or suffer the ultimate, deserved humiliation of plunging into Division One, these discredited figures must be nowhere near the helm when the new season dawns. Their reign of destruction is over.
Highlanders and Dynamos were once synonymous with glory. They produced legends, filled stadiums, and carried the hopes of millions. Today, they are reduced to small clubs scrambling for survival. How did we get here? Poor leadership, lack of vision, and an obsession with outdated structures. These clubs have sponsors, yet players went on strike. Why? Where is the money going? Why have these teams failed to sign quality players season after season? Why do we watch them lose to clubs that were formed yesterday? The answers lie in the boardrooms — and the rot starts at the top.
Highlanders’ members must wake up. The “community team” tag is killing Bosso. A club cannot be run by people who cannot contribute significant finances to its welfare. The fate of Highlanders should not be decided by a kombi tout but by men and women with deep pockets who can transform Bosso into a continental powerhouse. Look at Mamelodi Sundowns, Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates — professionally run, financially stable, and competitive.
Highlanders must follow suit. Vote for change. Vote to sell Highlanders to a rich individual or company that will run it professionally. Enough of sentimental ownership — it is strangling the club.
The truth is brutal: Highlanders cannot compete in modern football with a structure that relies on members who pay a token subscription and then demand influence. Football is business. It requires capital, strategy, and ambition. If Bosso wants to be a giant of Africa, it must abandon the romantic notion of being a “community club” and embrace the reality of professional ownership.
In the capital city, Marriot has turned Dynamos into a personal fiefdom, and the results are catastrophic. Dynamos should be like Esperance of Tunisia or Al Ahly of Egypt — giants of Africa.
Instead, they are a laughing stock. Marriot must sell the club to a serious investor who will inject money, professionalism, and ambition. Dynamos cannot continue to be run like a backyard business. It is time for bold decisions. For years, Dynamos fans have watched their beloved club sink deeper into chaos while Marriot clings to power like a king in a crumbling castle. Enough is enough. Dynamos needs a corporate structure, a board of professionals, and a financial model that attracts sponsorship and talent. The era of one man holding an entire institution hostage must end.
The two clubs’ leadership have failed. They have dragged two great institutions into the mud.
They have turned giants into dwarfs. For the sake of Zimbabwean football, for the sake of the millions of fans who bleed Bosso and DeMbare, they must leave and not come back.
Next season must start without them — whether in the PSL or Division One.
Why do Highlanders and Dynamos struggle to sign quality players? Why do players go on strike when the clubs have sponsors? Why do these clubs fail to pay salaries on time?
Why do they fail to attract serious investors? The answer is simple: leadership failure. These clubs are run by men who have no vision, no strategy, and no understanding of modern football economics.
They cling to outdated models while the world moves forward.
Highlanders members should vote for the sale of the club. Dynamos stakeholders must demand Marriot’s exit. Zimbabwean football cannot afford another season of incompetence. The time for change is now. If we want to see Bosso and DeMbare rise again, we must embrace professionalism. We must attract investors who can inject millions, build infrastructure, and sign players who can compete at the highest level. We must stop pretending that passion alone wins trophies. It does not. Money, management, and modernity do.
Fans must stop being sentimental. Stop defending failure. Stop clinging to traditions that no longer serve the clubs. Demand accountability. Demand change. Demand professionalism. If we do not act now, Highlanders and Dynamos will become permanent residents of mediocrity — or worse, vanish into the lower leagues.
