Tagwirei laughs off Dembare takeover claims

DYNAMOS benefactor Kuda Tagwirei has laughed off reports that he is angling to take over the club, insisting that he is only helping the Harare football giants to reclaim their former glory.

Through his Sakunda Holdings, Tagwirei last year splashed over US$5 million in sponsorship to Dynamos and Highlanders.

There has been a lot of skepticism around his gesture, with some suggesting that the businessman wants to take over the club, which is currently embroiled in an ownership
wrangle.

Speaking at a ceremony to hand over a house to Agnes Shaya, the wife of the late Dynamos football legend George Shaya, Tagwirei scoffed at the reports.

"I can't be seen trying to take over Dynamos. No, that will not happen," he said.

Tagwirei has been involved in negotiations to bring sanity to the DeMbare's boardroom squabbles where current board chairperson Benard Marriot-Lusengo is fighting the recently elected board of trustees led by Enerst Kamba.

"We want to make sure that the ownership structure is done properly, according to the Dynamos constitution. The real owners of the club will own the team. We are bringing the warring parties together. We want them to be united and speak the same language. They are the owners, our job is to bring them to the table so that they can work together," Tagwirei said.

"I want to see all the (current and) former players from Enerst Kamba, Moses Chunga to Bill Antonio, being part of the Dynamos family. What I want to do is unite them."

A legal battle is in progress at Dynamos after club legends and former players met last month and reconstituted the electoral college and elected Kamba to lead a new board of trustees under the 1963 constitution.

Marriot-Lusengo has dismissed Kamba's board and continues to run the club.

"We are not going to take anything from them. What we are doing is to help them in any way we can. When we are done resolving the ownership wrangle, we will go to the next stage where we will call upon other stakeholders including the supporters to be part and be involved with Dynamos. We want them to be members of the club by way of subscriptions," Tagwirei said.

"Then, obviously, we want supporters to attend Dynamos matches in numbers. We all know things are not good with our football. Whenever Dynamos is not doing well, everything football in the country suffers."

Tagwirei promised to continue pouring resources into the club as well as helping its former players financially.

The handover of the house was in fulfilment of a pledge his company made in September last year to buy Shaya a house worth US$120 000.

Agnes couldn't contain her emotions and constantly broke down during the ceremony which was attended by close family members, including George's brothers.

Other football legends Moses Chunga (Dynamos) and Madinda Ndlovu (Highlanders) have also been honoured with houses worth US$90 000 each by Sakunda Holdings while some former players have received US$500 each.

Shaya's house is located in Madokero Estates.

Although Agnes was given a US$120 000 purse, she chose a three-bedroomed house worth US$100 000. She used the remainder to pay conveyance fees, and to install water and electricity systems at her new house.

Tagwirei said he decided to honour Shaya, who died in August last year, as a way of appreciating him for the part he played in developing football in the country.

The Harare businessman gave Agnes an open cheque to buy furniture of her choice for the house.