Bosso executive told to step down

HIGHLANDERS' vice-chairman Mgcini Mpofu has taken the unprecedented step of taking to social networking platform Facebook to express his disappointment over Bosso's poor performances this season following their 1-0 loss to Harare City on Saturday.

Bosso, who fired the Bongani Mafu-led technical staff and replaced them with an interim team led by technical advisor Cosmas Zulu, head coach Amin Soma-Phiri and his assistant Melusi Mabaleka Sibanda, sunk to a new low on Saturday when they lost their fourth consecutive league match against Harare City at Rufaro Stadium to remain rooted in 10th place on the log table.

Highlanders have 25 points and now appear as one of the relegation candidates with their survival seemingly dependent on the performances of teams below them. The loss was Bosso's ninth in this campaign, more than double the number of matches they lost in the 2001 season. In fact, from the 2000-2003 seasons, Highlanders only lost 11 matches.

Mpofu wrote on his Facebook timeline that the ailing Bulawayo giants were now so ordinary that even small Division One teams were no longer scared of Bosso. "Kunzima, we have reduced ourselves to an ordinary team that does not even scare a Division One team. Let's unite (and) rally behind the team and make sure we grow this brand and make it marketable, It will be well, Siyinqaba!" Mpofu wrote.

However, Mpofu's posting drew angry responses from irate Bosso fans weary of stomaching the pain of disappointment caused by the team's poor weekly performances. The fans demanded that the entire Bosso executive steps down accusing them of failing to run the club and pointing to the high technical team turnover in two years. Highlanders have used four coaches within two years.

"Vice-chairman, truth be told, your administration has slowly killed the Bosso brand. You should all be ashamed to have been leading the club in one of its worst eras. Do the honourable thing and step down," posted one Andrew Nkosini Vundla on Mpofu's wall.

"Your decisions are atrocious. I hope liyibonile iwarm up ekade isenziswa uAriel (Sibanda) nguTsano (interim technical advisor Cosmas Zulu). What on earth was that? You are better off leaving them bazibonele loPopo (Njabulo Nyoni) than such kindergarten staff," wrote Devilliers Dube.

Busani Bhebhe said: "Kakukhangelwe impande yodubo lolu. I foresee all coaches being fired to no avail as long as we have the current administration. There is no zeal, no drive at all. We need someone to steer this institution to the level of isikhathi saboMaphepha (former chairman Ernest Sibanda)."

"Sorry Mpofu. You guys must all go. If we want to save Bosso, people must be man enough and step down," said Alfos Ndiweni. Another fan by the name Mjay wrote: Board of directors and executive have humiliated the Bosso brand. I don't see (interim head coach) Amin (Soma-Phiri) being coach next season, meaning we will have a new composition and that's too high a turnover for such a short period that this executive has been in office. This is disturbing . . . kambe from (former coach Kelvin) Kaindu to the old man Zulu; all these coaches are not good enough? When are we going to have lina abadala lizisola?"

Fiso Siziba weighed in: "Lokhu sekusehlula Mpofu. Abantu abazinuke amakhwapha and check what they are doing for the team. People elected you guys with all the faith and we get such mediocrity. Your first blunder was returning that old man as CEO and entrusting him with all club affairs. When you sit every Monday, all that you see is Kaindu this, (Bongani) Mafu that and now Amin this. Surely what can Zulu tell King Nadolo besides the history that he and Barry Daka served for 15 years at Highlanders, folktales by the elderly?"