Chronicle Editor
Fungai Muderere, [email protected]
Highlanders interim treasurer Israel Moyo announced on Sunday that the club made a paltry US$50 the whole of 2023 from the car wash business at the clubhouse, an amount that some individuals in the same business in the city make in a single day.
As if that was not enough, through his report Moyo revealed that from keeping stuff for vendors that sell second-hand clothes from a flea market near the clubhouse, they generated a paltry US$80 for the whole year.
Each vendor is said to pay US$1 for overnight safe keeping of their merchandise which translates to more than US$20 per night that Highlanders would be getting given that there are more than 20 vendors operating at the flea market.
The revenue from vendors should therefore average about US600 a month yet only US$80 is said to have been collected the whole year.
The club also generates income through gate takings, sponsorship, membership, donations, sale of players, merchandise, sales from bars and kitchen at the clubhouse.
In the 2023 season Bosso’s gate takings were US$153 972 and their sponsorship package saw them pocket US$779 687.
From club membership, the Bulawayo football giants got US$3 270 and from donations the club realised US$78 396.
The black and white army got US$$15 000 from the sale of players. From their Castle Lager Premier Soccer League prize money Bosso received US$122 063 after finishing fifth in the past season.
The club also got US$12 245 from other incomes and an interest payment of US$1 535.
Sales from Bar 1 and Bar 2 amounted to US$173 514 and US$30 068 respectively.
The kitchen sales saw the former league champions receive a total of US$19 206.
From their operations, Highlanders got a total of US$1 199 522 while the trading zone that caters for bars, kitchen car wash and flea market proceeds amounted to US$222 921.
In that regard the club’s unaudited financials indicated that a total of US$1 422 443 was consolidated.
In the preamble of his financial report Moyo said it was frustrating to note that Highlanders’ internal checks and controls were wanting.
“The system is open for everyone to do as he or she wants. Internal audit is a very important pillar. There is a need for our financials to be validated by auditors.
“We need to improve on our internal checks and controls. I don’t want to be a treasurer who reduces Bosso to a financially troubled club.
“We are incurring a lot of losses that even affect our junior teams,” said Moyo adding that they can’t account for US$8 000.
“Our standard operating procedures are not really up to stretch. Let’s have normal standards not only in finance but all over.
“I’m not attacking the board or my fellow executive members. The way we relate makes it difficult for me or any other treasurer to operate,” said Moyo.
He also said the financial statement he presented was based on the little information available.
“The history of it is long. I have wasted a lot of time looking for auditors. It has not been easy but we created all this mess. It’s very difficult for me to stand here with unaudited accounts,” said Moyo.
In US$ terms, in the 2023 season, Moyo reported that Bosso got a total of US$351 386 and after paying their stakeholder that include Sport Recreation Commission (SRC), Zimbabwe Football Association (Zifa), Bulawayo City Council (BCC), Premier Soccer League (PSL), match officials, Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP), chief cashiers, cashiers and private security among others, Highlanders remained with US$145 482. This was from the 17 home matches.
The South African Rand account suggests that the club got a paltry share of R425 after meeting expenses from a total of R259 234 that they had realised from 17 home matches. – @FungaiMuderere.
Online Reporter