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Sikhumbuzo Moyo Senior Sports Reporter
HIGHLANDERS board of directors chairman Mgcini Nkolomi says politics of patronage is the major cause of problems at the club.
He said the Highlanders family must guard against always addressing symptoms and making emotional decisions that might be detrimental to the development and growth of the club.
Nkolomi was reacting to a petition by some disgruntled Highlanders members led by Leeroy Maplanka that is calling for an early annual general meeting and consequently elections that will usher in a new executive, replacing the Peter Dube-led one.
Constitutionally, Highlanders is due for an annual general meeting in January next year and elections for chairman, secretary and committee member soon after.
“Politics is killing our club, nothing else. You hear people saying this one belongs to so and so and if you don’t toe the line you’re viewed with different eyes. Now we’ve people pushing a petition, which is their right yes but the club has due systems to address their concerns,” said Nkolomi at a press conference in Bulawayo yesterday.
He said if at all there was need for such action that will mean the club amending its constitution. Members know clearly that the club has set systems that allow them to invoke constitutional clauses through procedures adopted by the club.
Those calling for an early annual general meeting argue among other issues that such a move will see an incoming executive choosing their own coach instead of having to work with a coach appointed by the previous executive.
“There’s nothing wrong with the action taken but I don’t think the club is in an intensive care unit that can call for such an action to be taken by our members. The club systems allow for members to take any action but calling for a review of the constitution in such a manner rather demeans this institution. They can follow the necessary systems to push their agenda. For the record a coach is appointed by the system not a chairman,” said Nkolomi.
He called on the generality of the Highlanders membership to remain calm but focused.
“Our worry and indeed concerns as the Highlanders board and I personally as the board chairperson is that if such things are allowed to happen, we’re opening up a precedent that might be deadly to the club. What if in future someone buys 200 people membership cards to push a petition that he takes over the club, what will we do, iyahamba iclub,” said the board chairperson.
He added: “There’re people with political power by mouth only but can’t even sustain their club; we should make sure that we don’t create any loopholes that will perpetuate factionalism in our club. Those members moving the petition might be having a genuine call for it but let’s stand guard. Highlanders isn’t in an intensive care unit to call for such action because our systems provide for members to address such issues, it’s not as if avenues to air grievances have been closed.”
Nkolomi said as a board they do not want a situation that will cause divisions within the club ‘because this petition has all the potential of causing divisions in the club’.
Meanwhile, a legal expert has hinted that the objectives of the petition might suffer a still birth on a technicality.
“I’ve been following the petition debate through the media just like everyone else. I don’t have the Highlanders constitution here but my interpretation will be that, they can get the 100 signatures to call for a meeting but when that meeting sits, they can still fail to get the two thirds majority needed for their motion to pass,” said the legal expert.
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