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Sikhumbuzo Moyo Senior Sports Reporter
HIGHLANDERS Football Club board of directors have formally asked the petition movers to drop their militant approach to issues but instead raise their grievances through normal club systems like putting a due notice on the agenda of the annual general meeting.
The man believed to be behind the petition, Leeroy Maplanka has, however, bluntly refused to abandon the petition route.
He said they would abide by the board’s request for now while waiting to see what action it would take with regards to their concerns.
Maplanka looks set to clash with his fellow petitioners who seem in agreement with the board’s request to follow laid down club dispute resolution systems.
One of his key backers, Bulawayo businessman Kenneth Mhlophe, said he has always been a man of truth and good standing who wants the best for Highlanders but if Maplanka has other sinister motives then he must leave him out of the distabilisation agenda.
Maplanka said they would temporarily stop pushing the petition as per their agreement with the Highlanders board chairman Mgcini Nkolomi, who has promised to do something about their concerns.
“He promised us there’ll be nothing swept under the carpet and promised to decisively act on it and personally I’m convinced that he’ll do something. We therefore agreed to give them the benefit of the doubt. We will give them time to see if something is done but if it isn’t, we will go back to our petition route,” said Maplanka who has struggled to draw the requisite number of signatures in almost two months of trying.
Bosso board chairman, Nkolomi, said they met the petition movers and advised them to raise their issues through the proper club structures.
“We advised them to bring the issue to the annual general metting by putting due notice as per our constitution because we believe that a petition signals a stalemate in the governance of an institution. The board and the executive never had a stalemate with our members on any of their grievances because there was never an official approach from them about any grievances, we only got to know about the issue through the media,” said Nkolomi.
He reiterated that members have a right to be heard.
“As a board we were concerned about the adverse publicity the whole issue was having on Highlanders so we’d to summon them to make them aware of all these dangers and they seemed to agree with us and said they were probably driven by emotions as staunch club supporters,” said Nkolomi.
He added,“We also wanted to understand from them what was so urgent that couldn’t even wait for 30 days.”
The petition, seen by Chronicle Sport, is addressed to the club secretary Andrew Tapela and referenced; “Notice of intention to hold an extra ordinary general meeting as per Article 17 of the Highlanders Football Club Constitution 2006.”
The agenda will be amendment to Article 16:1 of the HFC Constitution.
“We are not going to put any due notice whatsoever but we trust the board chairman will do something about our concerns but if we feel nothing is being done, make no mistake, we will go back to our petition,” said Maplanka who has lost on a number of instances in Highlanders elections.
It is believed that some of the members who had appended their signatures refused to back down, hence the change of heart by those at the forefront although Mhlophe is said to have told close associates that he would rather erase his signature from the petition if others insist on going ahead with the idea.
“I’ve no other motive, all I want is to build but if he (Maplanka) has other motives, then I’m not part of it anymore. We met the board and came out with an amicable resolution,” said Mhlophe.
It is believed some of the petition movers are using it to hit back at the executive after several deals they wanted to benefit from as individuals out of Highlanders collapsed.
Some wanted their buses used to ferry the team, others sought to supply drugs while not registered with requisite authorities while others wanted to “bank” their players at the club who would after being developed and marketed move as free agents without Bosso benefitting from the transfers as was the case with Peter Rio Moyo and Milton Ncube.
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