Online Reporter
Lovemore Dube, [email protected]
HIGHLANDERS Football Club chief executive officer Denzil Mnkandla has been suspended following allegations of inflated expenditure linked to the team’s recent tour of Botswana.
Mnkandla, a former FC Platinum administrator, was reportedly given a verbal suspension notice on Tuesday, with club chairman Kenneth Mhlophe expected to issue a formal written suspension letter on Wednesday, in line with an executive resolution.
Sources within the club said the suspension is intended to allow for investigations to proceed without interference.
It is alleged that the total bill for the Botswana trip was inflated by as much as US$20 000 above the actual cost. Reports indicate that middlemen were introduced to Mnkandla by a senior member of the executive to facilitate some of the arrangements.
Further allegations suggest that standard procurement procedures were not followed, as there were no three quotations obtained from service providers—a requirement under club policy. Despite this, it is understood that both chairman Mhlophe and board member responsible for finance, Nkani Khoza, approved the figures.
In doing so, they are said to have disregarded established club guidelines, which mandate a minimum of three quotations for any procurement process.
Efforts to get a comment from Mhlophe were unsuccessful, as calls went unanswered.
Sources further indicated that Mhlophe and Khoza could also face suspension pending the outcome of investigations.
It is also alleged that Khoza raised concerns while the team was still in Botswana after realising that the club may have been overcharged for services provided by the lodge where the team stayed for six days.
