Sports / Soccer
Storm brews at Dynamos
06 Nov 2016 at 07:45hrs | Views
FORMER Dembare administrator Uzziel Mankola has called for the resignation of Dynamos board chairman Bernard Marriot-Lusengo after property belonging to the Harare giants and a number of their officials was almost auctioned last week to recover a $250 000 debt owed to CBZ Bank Limited.
Mankola, who claims to be one of the founders of the club, said the current club's leadership led by Marriot-Lusengo had not only failed the club, but had also violated Dynamos Football Club (Private) Limited's articles of association.
Marriot-Lusengo is cited as one of the directors of Dynamos Football Club (Pvt) Ltd, a company registered under the Companies Act in 1999, which according to a judgement delivered by Justice Luke Malaba in March 2006, is the lawful owner of the team.
"The fact that CBZ Bank Limited were granted a writ of execution to attach the club's property and that of board and former executive members who facilitated the loan, means Benard
Marriot-Lusengo and other individuals who are part of the Dynamos leadership become disqualified from holding positions as directors of the club," Mankola, who has previously served as the Dynamos secretary of the board, said.
A section of the articles of association states that: "The office of director shall be vacated if the director becomes insolvent or makes any arrangements with his creditors generally… becomes of unsound mind or resigns his office by notice in writing to the company or shall for more than six months have been absent from meetings of the directors held during that period."
Mankola, who spent years in England after relocating in 1999, said Marriot-Lusengo — who he accused of being the source of the seemingly never-ending problems at the Harare giants — was illegitimately running the show at the Glamour Boys.
Marriot-Lusengo has also been targeted by former teammates such as Ernest Kamba, who was recently mobilising supporters and former players to challenge the current leadership.
Mankola said Marriot-Lusengo had hoodwinked all stakeholders and converted Dynamos into his own personal property against the provisions of their own constitution.
According to the club's 1963 constitution, the board of trustees must be an elected body and should transform into the board of directors of Dynamos (Pvt) Ltd, which is an advisory role.
"The board of trustees will become the board of directors of the Dynamos (Pvt) Ltd Company by virtue of being members of the elected board of trustees," Article 16 of the constitution specifies.
"The club will be the sole property of the Dynamos FC (Private) Ltd," the constitution further states.
However, Mankola said due process was not followed in the formation of Dynamos (Pvt) Ltd.
"The idea to register as a company was good, but the constitution was not followed. There had to be a resolution passed at a meeting duly notified, but all that was not done. All stakeholders were not consulted. I have already approached the Sports and Recreation minister Makhosini Hlongwane so that he can assist us to find a way to sort out the rot because Dynamos problems somehow affect all teams," he said.
Mankola also sensationally claimed that Marriot-Lusengo was not even a founder member of the club, but had manipulated records to suit his desire to hold power as the Dynamos constitution provides that board members should be drawn from among the founders.
Efforts to get a comment from Marriot-Lusengo on Mankola's allegations were fruitless as his mobile phone was continuously not reachable.
The latest allegations by Mankola come at a time the club is having its worst season in a decade, occupying fifth position with just two matches before the season ends.
The current Dynamos leadership structure has two layers, the board led by chairperson
Marriot-Lusengo — which is the supreme decision-making entity at the club. The board appoints an executive committee, which assumes the day-to-day running of the club. The current executive committee is led by Mubaiwa.
Source - the standard
