Bosso fire worker for Sikhonjwa links

HIGHLANDERS Football Club has fired its entities manager following allegations that he was electioneering for losing vice chairperson candidate, Babongile Sikhonjwa.

The entities manager, Dalubuhle Sibanda, who among his duties was responsible for operations at the Highlanders clubhouse and also was in charge of the club's grounds, received his marching orders after it was alleged, he had given free food to two of the team's supporters in a bid to convince them to vote for the entertainer cum entrepreneur.

The development has however been viewed as a move by the club to weed out everyone deemed to have been backing Sikhonjwa who lost to Fiso Siziba in the elections.

According to the Sibanda's charge sheet, gleaned by this publication, it is alleged that Sibanda used club funds to buy food for possible voters of one of the candidates in the vice chairpersonship position.

"It is alleged that on the 30th of January2022 and at Highlanders Sports Club, you unlawfully and intentionally and realising a risk or possibility, conducted yourself otherwise or in a manner that is calculated to bring the name of the club into disrepute, contempt or ridicule, that is to say you used club funds to buy food for possible voters of a particular candidate in the race of being executive vice chairperson, a development you well knew was not in line with the club's official standing when it comes to handling of election and electioneering," reads part of Sibanda's charge.

In the second charge, Sibanda is said to have failed to manage and supervise his junior staffers which resulted in a shortfall of ZWL$51 510.

"Also, the club suffered a prejudice of US$999 as a result of your failure to do your work thoroughly by obtaining three quotations or more and thereafter come up with a comparative schedule to find the cheapest hardware for procuring plumbing materials which were needed for the maintenance work at the sports club," reads the charge sheet.

It has further been revealed that up until the plumbing job was done, the club house's toilets were now operating with a bucket system as the plumbing system was down.

Efforts to get a comment from the Highlanders acting chief executive officer, Ronald Moyo were fruitless as his mobile phone was not reachable.

However, Sikhonjwa dismissed the claims that Sibanda had bought food for his supporters using the club's funds, revealing that he had paid the money to the clubhouse kitchen manager, Amanda Sidambe.

"If they wanted to get rid of Sibanda, they should have done this in a proper civilized manner because I buy my friends food all the time and in the instance which they are referring to, I actually instructed Sidambe to give the two individuals food and I paid the bill which had amounted to US$9.40.

"How then it changed to Highlanders being made to pay for those plates I do not even know, and also how it got to be linked to Sibanda, I also do not know because in all these transactions never at one point did I talk to Sibanda, it was just Sidambe and myself. To be honest, for the club to include such a charge, which in itself is not even true, is both silly and petty," said Sikhonjwa.

Contacted for comment Sibanda referred all questions to the club administration, saying they were the best to comment on the matter.