Online Reporter
Fungai Muderere, Zimpapers Sports Hub
HIGHLANDERS’ members will converge at the clubhouse in Bulawayo on January 25 with one issue looming larger than all others: the state of the club’s finances, and whether the current leadership can finally account for years of unresolved questions.
The Annual General Meeting, set to commence at 9am, places treasurer Nkani Khoza and chairman Kenneth Mhlophe before an increasingly restless membership after another season spent flirting with disaster. Bosso survived the 2025 Castle Lager Premier Soccer League campaign by fine margins, weighed down by persistent cash shortages, inconsistent performances and long running whispers of financial irregularities that have never been fully addressed.
A formal notice circulated to members confirms the date and venue, inviting “members of Highlanders Football Club in good standing” to attend.
The language is standard. The mood around the meeting is anything but. This AGM follows several seasons in which the club’s financial statements have failed to earn a clean bill of health from auditors, a recurring red flag that has entrenched suspicion and deepened the divide between the boardroom and the terraces.
The agenda includes confirmation of minutes from the previous AGM, matters arising and the adoption of the chairman’s report — a document expected to confront governance shortcomings and questions of financial accountability. Members will also consider the board’s report, receive updates on constitutional review processes and confirm the appointment of auditors, a particularly sensitive item given the club’s recent audit history.
In recent years, auditors have repeatedly declined to sign off Bosso’s accounts, citing concerns that were never fully clarified in the public domain. Each postponement has fuelled frustration among members who continue to pay subscriptions while remaining largely in the dark about how funds are generated, spent and monitored at a club built on tradition and member ownership.
That frustration has only intensified in light of the scale of external support flowing into Emagumeni.
Businessman Sir Wicknell Chivayo and principal sponsors Sakunda Holdings have injected substantial resources to keep the club operational, particularly as Highlanders approach their centenary celebrations this year. For many supporters, the contradiction is stark: a club buoyed by such backing should not still be grappling with unpaid bills and unresolved audit disputes.
The timing of the AGM also coincides with a reset on the technical front. Highlanders have appointed South African coach Thabo Senong, tasking him with restoring structure after seasons marked by drift.
His brief goes beyond results on the pitch. Sustainable progress will depend heavily on stability and clarity off it.
Bosso’s decline has been reflected not only in financial statements, but also in the honours cabinet. The Bulawayo giants last lifted the league title in 2006, under the guidance of club icon Methembe “Mayor” Ndlovu and the leadership of then captain Gilbert “ThathiMali” Banda. Nearly two decades later, the drought has hardened into part of the club’s identity, magnifying the impact of every administrative lapse.
Saturday’s meeting will test more than balance sheets and reports. It will test whether the leadership can reconnect with a membership tired of explanations without resolution.
What unfolds inside the clubhouse may well determine whether Highlanders step into their 100th year renewed and forward looking, or burdened once again by the same questions that have trailed the club from season to season.
