DeMbare to get makeover?

Sports Stadium on Saturday, which could redefine the manner in which the popular Harare side is administered and elect a new board of directors.
The meeting also comes against a background of genuine concerns from the Dynamos stakeholders about the need to for the club to adopt corporate operating systems.
Dynamos now have a board of directors, which replaced the Board of Trustees in the former set up with the Electoral College made up of the Glamour Boys’ founding fathers from 1963 to 1968 becoming the shareholders.
But since those changes were effected following the registration of Dynamos Football Club (Private) Limited, DeMbare have hardly operated like a club that is owned by a company with the Harare giants still dogged by problems related to lack of transparency and lack of general corporate governance.
A look at the agenda of the indaba, circulated by acting Dynamos (Pvt) Ltd secretary Owen Chandamale, however, shows an intention by the DeMbare founding fathers to try and introduce some transparency with club treasurer Harrison Mbewe expected to present the audited accounts.
“The annual general meeting will deal with the following matters in the manner hereunder mentioned:
l Presentation of shareholders and directors
l Minutes of previous meeting held on 27 March 2010
l Matters arising from those minutes
l Board chairman’s report
l Treasurer’s report together with the audited accounts
l Appointment of auditors for the following year
l Motions or proposals for which due notice has been given
l Any other business for which due notice has been given,” read part of the notice of the indaba.
But as Dynamos brace for the annual meeting, the indaba will not be short of controversy amid questions by the shareholders on the glaring omission on the agenda of a notice of elections to replace three board members who died between the last AGM and now.
The trio of Ephraim Mpariwa, Jairos Banda and Patrick Dzvene died during the year under review.
In fact, Richard Chiminya’s board are – according to the minutes of the resolution of their November 15, 2008 meeting – now technically out of office.
This is because the Dynamos Electoral College in fending off factionalism that had erupted at the club with a rival board claiming leadership, resolved that Chiminya’s board was the legitimate DeMbare leadership until September 2010.
“Problems bedevilling Dynamos Football Club (Pvt) Ltd and Dynamos Football Club should be buried and be a thing of the past. Rumour mongering should be stopped forthwith.
“That the legitimate and constitutional board of directors is the one led by Mr R. Chiminya as per extraordinary annual meeting of 8th September2007 for the next three years until September 2010,” read part of the minutes.
Chandamale, in confirming DeMbare’s readiness for the annual meeting, also acknowledged that the Harare giants were still being plagued by some problems that wouild need to be ironed out.
The acting Dynamos board secretary said they had also not been amused by reports that fired secretary-general Oliver Manyau was allegedly still involved in DeMbare business.
Chandamale also insisted that the Dynamos board had “never recognised” former team manager Nyika Chifamba’s elevation to the club’s executive earlier this year.
Chifamba had been appointed by Farai Munetsi’s management as a committee member to replace former coach David Mandigora who is now based in Mozambique while former assistant coach Richard Chihoro bounced back as team manager.
The DeMbare board secretary, however, claimed that Manyau was still allegedly involved in the registration of the club’s players for the 2011 Premiership campaign.
“We wrote to Manyau advising him of the board’s decision to relieve him of his duties. Chifamba we could not write to him because he was never appointed in the first place so the board cannot write to someone who is just not there… he was never appointed by the board in the first place.
“But now I am surprised to hear that they are still operating as Dynamos officials and we would like to warn that such action is in contempt of a board resolution.
“We are also going to instruct the technical department not to get instructions or conflicting instructions from people who are not legitimate Dynamos officials.
“Lloyd Mutasa and his technical department are doing a splendid job and must be left to continue with their work without any problems,” Chandamale said.
Apart from DeMbare treasurer Mbewe’s report Chiminya is also expected to table his chairman’s report and highlight the achievements or failures which the club scored under his reign in the period under review.
The long-serving Dynamos board chairman tried unsuccessfully to overturn a decision taken by his colleagues in the club’s top policy-making body two weeks ago.
In his treasurer’s report Mbewe is also expected to brief members about Dynamos’ creditors, plans to go on an campaign to lure corporate partners as well as the Harare giants’ bid to secure funding from CBZ Bank.
But the DeMbare shareholders appear to be unanimous in their belief that the Harare giants would have to change their business approach in order to unlock the real value of the club that is ranked the ninth best in Africa.
“We have to use the platform of such meetings to dispel the notion that we are an ineffective bunch of grey-haired men and take meaningful steps towards making Dynamos the big brand that it is in local and African football,” said one of the founder members.