Online Reporter
Innocent Kurira and Lovemore Dube, Zimpapers Sports Hub
HIGHLANDERS players will take to the field at Barbourfields this afternoon under pressure to give coach Benjani Mwaruwari his first win of the season when they face visiting ZPC Kariba.
The Bulawayo giants are winless after six matches with all having been drawn.
Bosso have looked good work in progress under Mwaruwari with a solid defence that has enjoyed four clean sheets and shown good resilience with coaches forced to shuffle their players especially at the rear where injuries have been prevalent.
The availability of midfield talisman Mongameli Tshuma should be a masterstroke as he is expected to add creativity in the final third and in the box where Bosso have come short.
Isaac Ngoma whose work permit was finalised on Tuesday will add to the options in attack where Reason Sibanda who just returned from injury is available with Brighton Ncube and Benjamin Adejougun.
All four bring different attributes and that makes for the intrigue ZPC Kariba will face.
The visitors have had a solid defence in the last two years.
Meanwhile, Highlanders’ executive crisis has taken a yet another turn after the club’s lawyers reportedly advised the reinstatement of suspended chief executive officer Denzil Mnkandla.
The development marks a significant shift in the handling of the matter, with what had begun as an internal administrative process now firmly in the hands of legal experts.
Mnkandla, who recently engaged his own legal team to challenge his suspension, argued that due process was not followed, prompting the club to seek guidance from its lawyers.
Sources close to the developments say that advice has now been given for the CEO to be reinstated pending the conclusion of investigations.
“The club has received correspondence from Mnkandla’s lawyers challenging the process and calling for his immediate reinstatement. Bosso’s lawyers have since advised that he be reinstated while the matter is handled through proper legal channels,” said a source.
The CEO was reportedly issued with a verbal suspension as the club sought to pave way for investigations into the controversial Botswana trip, which has come under scrutiny over possible financial irregularities.
However, the absence of a formal suspension letter and the involvement of lawyers appear to have complicated the situation, raising questions over procedure and governance.
Club chairman Kenneth Mhlophe is understood to have been preparing to formalise the suspension in line with an executive resolution, but that process could now be halted following the latest legal advice.
Problems about the Botswana trip came to light when board member responsible for finance Nkani Khoza allegedly forced the service provider to divulge how much the charges were at a lodge the club stayed at.
All hell broke out when it was discovered that the bill paid and what he was told differed.
Agents facilitated the trip and are said to have taken their share and paid the lodge.
Bosso who accepted the quotation and had the chairman and Khoza okaying the payment, have an outstanding bill of US$5 800 still to clear in Botswana.
Despite the seriousness of the allegations, the legal position now appears to favour maintaining the status quo until all processes are properly concluded.
The matter is also being complicated by internal divisions within the club, with indications that differing views between the board and executive have contributed to the standoff.
With lawyers now actively shaping the process, Highlanders find themselves at a critical juncture, where legal compliance and internal cohesion will be key in determining the way forward.
