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Raymond Jaravaza
A HIGHLANDERS staffer who was suspended by the club in November last year for alleged insubordination and suspected fraud has threatened legal action against the Bulawayo giants and demanded to be reinstated.
The suspended long-serving finance officer Sihlalisiwe Mnkandla’s demands were made through her lawyers Calderwood, Bryce Hendrie and Partners, a Bulawayo law firm.
“We have been retained by Mrs Mnkandla to act on her behalf. Please note our interest.
“We are instructed by our client that she is employed by Highlanders Football Club in the position of Finance Officer.
“It is our further instructions that on 28 November 2023, the employer suspended our client without pay and benefits, in terms of SI 15/ 2006 alleging certain acts of misconduct against her.
“In terms of the law, the suspension period cannot be more than 14 working days. The employer is in breach of its contract of employment in that the employee has been on suspension for a period of almost two months.
“Our client’s instructions are that she wishes to hold the employer to the contract of employment.
“We have consequently been instructed to demand, as we hereby do, that the suspension be lifted and that our client’s pay and benefits be paid to her.
“In the event that the suspension is not lifted and she is paid her salary and benefits within 14 days of the letter, we will proceed to institute legal proceedings against the employer for appropriate relief. We hope that this will not be necessary and that you will honour our client’s contract of employment,” wrote the lawyers.
The suspension of Mnkandla came after the club’s auditors gave an adverse opinion on the state of Bosso’s finances.
A club internal audit volunteer Bekezela Ngoma also quit after refusing to agree to unethical accounting practices which he said would prejudice the club.
Ngoma confirmed that he had tendered his resignation and would only return if the committee sticks to good accounting principles.
Mnkandla was accused of failing to avail financial documents requested by auditors looking into the club’s books for the 2023 financial year.
In 2022, Mnkandla allegedly dragged her feet when asked to provide similar finance documents to auditors thereby delaying the exercise.
The club alleged insubordination by the staffer when she again the following year failed to avail the required finance documents.
The auditors wanted to start the exercise early and were surprised when she decided to leave the office at the time they had requested to meet her to get the documents.
This riled the Bosso executive and board members who could not present a statement of accounts at the club’s annual general meeting.
Online Reporter