Vote of no confidence: Is it possible at Highlanders?

Mehluli Sibanda, Senior Sports Reporter
A VOTE of no confidence against the executive at Highlanders is near impossible as the club’s constitution has stringent conditions over the matter.

At the time when some Highlanders members are mobilising fellow club followers to append their signatures on a petition aimed at ousting the Peter Dube-led executive, Sunday News Sport had a look at the Highlanders constitution in particular sections to do with the vote of no confidence.

Article 7.6 states that the executive committee or any member may be removed from their position by means of a vote of no confidence passed by a two thirds majority of a special general meeting. The constitution further states that in the event that any position in the executive committee falls vacant before the expiry of that term of office, the executive in consultation with the board of directors shall have the power to co-opt any suitable member of the Board of Directors to act in that position until elections are held.

What that means is that even in the event of the initiative succeeding, forcing Dube and his executive out of office, the petitioners can not choose who they want to lead the club, as the prerogative solely lies with the Board led by Mgcini Nkolomi.

Another stumbling block for those pushing for the ouster of Dube et al, is article 16.2 which stipulates that at any gathering, be it an annual general meeting, a special general meeting or extra ordinary general meeting, 50% of paid up members should attend for it to be constitutional.

On many occasions at such for a in the past Highlanders have gone ahead with such meetings even in the absence of a quorum because of that constitutional requirement.

The reason advanced being that the club had thousands of paid up members all over the country and some outside Zimbabwe who could not attend the meetings.

In the event that those pushing for the executive’s ouster succeed and get a special general meeting as specified in article 17.5, they will have to get 50% of the paid up club members to attend.

This is impossible for anyone outside the club’s official structures to achieve as such information is kept at the club offices whose records are in a shambles with no authentic register of the paid up members.

When contacted over the issue firebrand Highlanders’ chief executive officer Ndumiso Gumede could not give the exact number of the club’s paid up members only saying they “are over 1000’’.

Article 17.5 stipulates that “at least 100 paid up members, by means of a petition or resolution of the executive committee or board of trustees may call for a special general meeting which shall be for the purposes of discussing only an urgent matter.

The club constitution has stringent requirements for members’ participation. It reveals that for a member to contribute during club gatherings, they ought to have been a member for 12 months and in order to vote one has to have been a member of Highlanders for 24 months.

Morgan Dube, the Highlanders Victoria Falls Supporters Chapter chairperson said the idea of a petition has not been sold to them, with the only thing that was communicated being the signing of the document.

Whether the latest petition which is close to securing the required 100 signatures either does achieve the desired results or is thwarted by the Highlanders constitutional requirements, is yet to be seen.