Zimbabwe Saints in early season turmoil over unpaid bonuses, travel woes

Former Premier League side Zimbabwe Saints have been plunged into early season turmoil after failing to pay player bonuses and resorting to unconventional travel arrangements ahead of their league fixture against Victoria Falls- Herentals tomorrow Thursday.

Sources within the club revealed that the team left Bulawayo on Wednesday evening aboard a public transport bus that operates along the Bulawayo–Victoria Falls route, with arrival in the resort city expected in the early hours of Thursday.

The development follows a tense standoff between players and management, with squad members demanding payment of outstanding signing-on fees and winning bonuses.

“It was a heated atmosphere literally the whole day today (Wednesday) as players demanded to be paid their dues,” said a club source.

Another insider said it took the intervention of the technical bench, led by head coach Philani “Beefy” Ncube and his assistant Mthulisi Maphosa, to persuade the players to honour the fixture.

Club chairman Tawanda Ruzive confirmed the financial challenges, admitting the team is yet to stabilise.

“Our financial guaranteeurs are yet to release the funds, so the situation is still a bit tight, but we expect to be in the clear soon. Yes, we still owe the players and coaches,” said Ruzive.

He also explained the team’s unusual mode of transport, citing logistical constraints.

“As for our mode of transport, we had to use a public bus. Due to the state of the road, kombi operators were reluctant to release their vehicles for the trip,” he said.

Despite the off-field challenges, Zimbabwe Saints have made a modest start in the Pacific Breeze ZIFA Southern Region Division One League, recording one win, one draw and one defeat in their opening three matches.

However, the current instability threatens to derail their campaign if the financial situation is not urgently addressed.