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Ricky Zililo Senior Sports Reporter
A LAVISH party has been planned at the handover ceremony of Highlanders FC’s much-awaited luxury bus at Barbourfields Stadium tomorrow.Five beasts will be slaughtered for the party and gallons of beer and soft drinks will be flowing freely at the handover event courtesy of the club’s perpetual benefactor Tshinga Dube.
The branded luxurious Marcopolo bus with a state-of-the art entertainment system and toilet left Pretoria, South Africa, just after midday yesterday and was expected to cross the Beitbridge border last night.
After winning the Mbada Diamonds Cup in 2013, Highlanders set aside $20,000 to buy the bus and Dube provided an additional $25,000.
A road show to unveil the bus to Bulawayo residents will be held starting from the City Hall and ending at Barbourfields Stadium.
The bus will leave the City Hall at 12PM and drive along Leopard Takawira Avenue then turn right into Hebert Chitepo Street before turning left in 6th Avenue Extension. At the Renkini Bus Terminus, the bus will take a left turn for a stopover at the Fusini area in Makokoba where one of the four beasts will be devoured.
The coach will make another stopover at Mzilikazi’s Manwele Beergarden, which Highlanders is leasing from Ingwebu, before heading to Barbourfields Stadium. Dube advanced a loan to Bosso to start operations at Manwele a few years ago and the club will soon be offsetting that debt.
Before the bus arrives at Barbourfields Stadium, a Highlanders Legends side will play a 40-minute match against a select side.
“An entertainment filled day for Highlanders’ fans is on the cards as they welcome the new baby. The club’s benefactor Dube has made it a point that Highlanders’ people enjoy the day by providing five beasts, beer and soft drinks for everyone who will attend the celebrations. Dube prides himself with Bosso and wants the day to be a memorable one,” said Nothiwani Dlodlo, who was representing Dube at a press conference held at the club house yesterday.
The organisers have hired local artistes to provide entertainment at Makokoba’s Fusini, Manwele Beer- garden in Mzilikazi and Barbourfields Stadium.
The arrival of the bus will be a relief for the financially troubled club which has been hiring transport and spending up to $1,000 to fulfil out-of-Bulawayo matches.
The club’s members were vocal about the late arrival of the bus at the last two general meetings, with some even accusing the executive of misappropriating the funds.
Dube had to address bona fide members at January’s annual general meeting, explaining that the bus had been bought in South Africa.
Bosso should have taken delivery of the coach at the beginning of the year but they failed to raise enough money to pay for duty after their efforts to get a tax waiver from the government failed.
Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa will preside over the handover ceremony.
Dlodlo said Dube, who is contesting for the Makokoba parliamentary seat under a Zanu-PF ticket in the June 10 by-election, had appealed to his supporters not to wear political party regalia at the bus presentation.
“Being a Highlanders FC member, Dube is aware that politics has no place in football and as such, he has discouraged his supporters from wearing party regalia. We have noted with great concern that some people have wrongly interpreted the bus presentation on social media. Those same people were questioning why the bus wasn’t being delivered to Highlanders and now Dube has taken another initiative to have it arrive at the club and they are still complaining. They had an opportunity to pay duty but they didn’t and they must accept and applaud the work done by Dube,” said Dlodlo.
Online Reporter