adminSikhumbuzo Moyo Senior Sports Reporter
BULAWAYO giants Highlanders have started paying off part of the estimated $18,000 that the club owes its former coach Kelvin Kaindu. The club was on Tuesday quick to point that it was not a golden handshake as reported in some sections of the media but outstanding allowances and a one-month salary in lieu of leave that Bosso owed Kaindu.
Part of the money was for the Caf A coaching licence that the Zambian attended in Zambia late last year.
Without disclosing figures, citing employer/employee confidentiality, Highlanders chief executive officer Ndumiso Gumede said the money has since been deposited into the Zambian’s Zimbabwean bank account.
“For the record I want to state that what we have paid our former coach is not a buy-out clause but outstanding allowances, part of his signing-on fees and a month’s salary in lieu of leave,” said Gumede.
He said the other outstanding signing-on fees ought to have been paid at the beginning of next year: “When we engaged him we agreed that we were going to pay in batches.
“We refused to pay for his Uefa badges which he attended so many times in the United Kingdom because as a club we didn’t benefit from those achievements as he has since left. The Caf A had the blessings of the club, we agreed that we’ll pay him for attending the course,” said Gumede.
It is believed that Bosso have since deposited about $8,000 into the Zambian’s account.
Highlanders and Kaindu had a mutual agreement to part ways following the team’s 1-3 humiliation at home to new boys ZPC Kariba that saw understandably irate supporters venting their anger on players. The impasse lasted for more than an hour before both sets of players and officials could safely find their way to the dressing rooms. Kaindu immediately bade farewell to his players by shaking every one of them but when he came out an hour later to address the media, he painstakingly denied that he had thrown in the towel.
“It’s not true that we sacked Kaindu, he offered to step down himself during our routine Monday meetings where he even asked to be given time to talk to the executive alone without his technical bench colleagues,” said Gumede.
The veteran administrator said despite pleas that he hangs on as there were just few games left, the Zambian was adamant saying he could not stomach what happened at Hartsfield Grounds.
Highlanders then elevated assistant coach Mark Mathe to head the technical bench but a 4-0 whacking by Caps United at the National Sports Stadium was probably a wake up call for the executive.
On Tuesday, the Mbada Diamonds Cup holders and Chibuku Super Cup semi-finalists appointed Cosmas Zulu as technical advisor.
Zulu will be part of the technical team when Bosso take on Harare City in the semi-final of the Chibuku Super Cup at Rufaro Stadium on Sunday.
derick.khumalo