Chronicle Editor
Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
BONAFIDE Highlanders members will get an update on a proposed constitutional amendment aimed at making the club compliant with Fifa Club Licensing and improve Bosso’s administration at an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) set for July 24.
A proposal to amend the constitution submitted by club member Innocent Mikazhu ahead of the annual general meeting held at the beginning of the year received a shot in the arm when Highlanders’ board chairman Luke Mnkandla told members that they needed time to extensively look into the matter before presenting it to members.
The club has been seized with interrogating recommendations made by Mikazhu, who raised valid points that the club needs to consider planning for the future.
In his proposal, Mikazhu noted that the Fifa Club Licensing system enables clubs to be run professionally, operate as a business and help improve governance.
He suggested that Article 7.3 scraps the titles of secretary, treasurer and committee member, and replaces them with committee member responsible for administration and marketing, committee member responsible for finance and committee member responsible for technical development respectively.
He proposes that the committee member responsible for administration and marketing chairs the administration and marketing standing committee, oversees the welfare of club employees, oversees implementation of the club’s marketing plan in liaison with the chief executive officer and perform all such duties as delegated by the chairperson.
Club correspondence, recording of minutes, keeping of player records, which includes renewal of contracts and player registrations as spelt out by the present constitution, must be the CEO’s responsibilities.
Recently, Highlanders had to fire-fight following a letter signed by secretary Morgan Dube asking for a laptop donation, with some questioning why he was assuming duties of CEO Ronald Moyo, who has been reduced to a mere “administrative clerk”.
According to the current club constitution, Dube was right to sign the letter, as the guiding document states that the secretary is in charge of all club correspondences.
Mikazhu further proposed that for the committee member responsible for finance, duties may include heading the finance committee, monitoring financial management and advising the executive on financial matters and asset management.
If his proposed amendments sail through, duties of the committee member for finance will also include analysing the club’s budget and financial statements prepared by the CEO and submitting them to the executive for approval.
The committee member responsible for technical development will oversee basic aspects of football training and technical development, chair the technical and development committee and oversee implementation of the club’s youth development programmes.
Mikazhu also proposed amending Article 9.1 on qualifications for executive committee position to read that a prospective candidate must be a member for an uninterrupted period of at least five years, instead of the present two years.
He wants the CEO to draw up the agenda based on proposals from the executive committee and members.
On judicial bodies, Mikazhu wants the roles of the disciplinary committee to include “dealing with cases involving discipline of members and employees of the club”.
He also wants duties of the CEO to be spelt out in the constitution.
The present Highlanders constitution was amended in 2006.
Meanwhile, members keen to have other issues discussed at the EGM have up to Monday to make their submissions.
Highlanders’ chairman Johnfat Sibanda and treasurer Busani Mthombeni will present their reports at the EGM. — @ZililoR
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