The Sunday News
Mehluli Sibanda, Senior Sports Reporter
The city of Bulawayo will pour $11 million into Bulawayo City Football Club for the 2020 season.
While the Bulawayo budget is yet to be approved by the Government, Bulawayo City Council have set aside $11 million for funding Bulawayo City who will be playing in the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League this season, a move that has divided councillors and rate payers.
This is at a time when residents are going for days without water, having refuse not collected on time while their cars are also getting damaged by roads which are in a deplorable state in the country’s second largest city.
In response to questions by this publication in relation to funding for Amakhosi, Nesisa Mpofu, the council senior public relations officer indicated that last year, $720 000 was allocated to Bulawayo City while this year, Government is still yet to give the green light on how council funds would be used.
“On average a disbursement of $60 000 was made each month totalling to $720 000 for the year 2019. The Council Budget for 2020 is awaiting Government approval,” Mpofu said.
According to Mpofu, the council is the sole provider of funding to Bulawayo City, with talks with potential sponsors to ease the burden on the rate payers underway.
“Council is the sole sponsor and negotiations are at an advanced stage to get an alternative sponsor for the football team so as to lessen the sponsorship burden from rate payers and should that happen, we will inform the residents of these developments. Already a playing kit has been sourced from a sponsor in the United Kingdom,’’ she said.
While the council argues that sponsoring Bulawayo City is part of their social corporate responsibility and they are providing residents with entertainment, rate payers will have misgivings about continuing to fund a team they have not shown any interest in over the years.
Amakhosi have barely attracted any crowds to their home matches at Barbourfields Stadium, except when they are playing against the big teams like Highlanders, Dynamos and Caps United. Residents feel that instead of sponsoring Bulawayo City, the council should instead revive youth clubs that the local authority has abandoned in most western suburbs. The issue of funding for Bulawayo City was discussed at the recently held council meeting where the City Fathers showed their divisions on the matter.
Ward four councillor, Silas Chigora said the football team was disadvantaging the local authority. Chigora felt that Amakhosi, who in his own words said are failing to attract 300 people in a city with a population of about one million should be allowed to look for a new full-time sponsor while the council focuses on service delivery projects.
He also pointed out that the money going to Bulawayo City ought to be given to social clubs in the wards. In October last year, Harare Mayor, Herbert Gomba announced that they were considering to stop funding to Harare City Football Club. Gomba said the team was a loss-making project and will have to fund its own operations.
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