BROKE BOSSO BORROWS MORE

Raymond Jaravaza
REELING under an $800 000 debt financially troubled Highlanders borrowed money from a Bulawayo businessman to cater for some of the expenses of the five-day training camp in South Africa which ended a fortnight ago.

Prior to the teamaï¿½ï¿½s departure club acting chairman Modern Ngwenya told journalists that the South Africa training camp was an all expenses paid trip by a club benefactor based in the neighbouring country.

But it has emerged that Highlanders borrowed $1 800 from a businessman only identified as Bhebhe to cater for transport and other logistics for the trip where a 25-member team played practice matches against Absa Premiership club Baroka FC and lower league side Magesi FC in Limpopo Province.

aï¿½?Highlanders owes a lot of people and institutions money and for someone (the B-Metro Sport source) to tell you that sort of story is just an attempt to soil the image of the executive seeing that we had a very successful South African tour.

aï¿½?Speak to the treasurer, he is the one who deals with monetary issues at the club,aï¿½? said acting chairman Ngwenya.
Club treasurer Donald Ndebele confirmed that the club indeed borrowed money for fuel to Polokwane, South Africa, and to cater for playersaï¿½ï¿½ allowances.

aï¿½?We have an agreement to pay back the money on the agreed deadline and we intend doing just that. The arrangement with our South African benefactor was that he would take care of our accommodation and meals once we got to Polokwane but we had to take care of transport and playersaï¿½ï¿½ allowances ourselves,aï¿½? said Ndebele.

Our sister paper Chronicle reported before the trip that players would be paid R500 ($37) each for the duration of the training camp.

Ngwenya defended the paltry payment by saying that the players were, in fact, not entitled toAï¿½ any cent because it was not club policy to pay players to partake in training camps.

The club paid the travelling squad out of aï¿½?generosityaï¿½?, according to Ngwenya.

Club principal sponsors Banc ABC unveiled a reduced sponsorship package of $200 000 for the 2017 season, a situation that leaves Highlanders in dire need of cash injection to meet players and the technical teamaï¿½ï¿½s salaries.

The club hopes a new chief executive who is expected to resume duties from 31 March will convince the corporate world to partner the countryaï¿½ï¿½s oldest club and bring in the much needed cash.