I have never heard of a fairer
description of woman as the Holy Bible does it in the book of
Songs of Solomon. It was mostly imaginary as the man was the wisest,
but given his lyrics, few women could resist his charm and I bet he
was handsome. No doubt he had lot's and those words would earn the most striking creature.
For many, Highlanders is indescribable
in terms of how it makes so many people happy and it is with good
reason. Bosso strutted their stuff for many years in many ways beyond
words. This made average football overs to be addicted, not just to
football, but to the Highlanders brand.
The good football made the team grow
bigger and better. The economic situation made it worthwhile to
associate with Tshilamoya. Many companies envied to rub shoulders
with the heroes of the time. There was a point in history that the
name Bosso, Highlanders, Tshilamoya and Mantengwane were the most
powerful in the world of the few.
Like the woman described by Solomon,
the club needed to sit and be admired. Who would not go and see an
'S' shaped volumptious, bootylicious and booblicious damsel who has
just been in a beauty parlour for a manicure, pedicure, make-up and
all the 'waxes' and dressed well? Many would pay for the view.
The attraction of Bosso exceeded that
and as in the case of a show-woman, that fed the club. Everyone and
all the companies fell head over heels for to be close to the club.
Those who were close paid a great deal and did not care. It was
worthwhile whatever the costs.
The roadshows and all the accolades
that came with doing well cemented the traditions and culture that
made Bosso what it was. The choice of where the money came from was
wide and varied. In any case, life was cheap and players earned
peanuts but things have changed.
There is not much free lunch out there
in these recession threatened times. The less versatile will have to
survive on crumbs off the tables of the rich. The harsh economic
situation does not make Highlanders immune and the systems have to
change and be adaptive.
While many correctly think the
attitudes have to change, the mistake is whose attitude. On face
value, one looks at the club leadership and point fingers at the
executive committee to spruce up their thinking. That is fine but the
support base must be the one to wake up and smell the coffee.
Like any change, this is not easy.
Firstly, giving power by votes to people who are dynamic is key. The
fans enjoy this right after terms defined by the constitution to
elect club leadership. That aside, since there is the misconception
that everyone and everything owes Bosso, that is fallacy. The club
has nothing save for the money that is in the fan base pockets.
What the current custodians of the club
have to understand, is that the time for the arrogant attitude of a
beautiful woman calling the shots is over. The club need the go and
goal-getters in literal terms.
Like Shaka Zulu or Alexander The Great,
these times call for the warrior attitude who go after what they want
and get it. With all the body armour, shield and spear, smelling bad
and looking ugly, the Chairman and his committee should be
globe-trotting hunting down cash.
As elusive as it may be, it is out
there somewhere. The current leadership have the luxury of the work
done by the previous committee and the results attest to that. During
the days that Bosso just sat a queen or a makoti with everyone
throwing in flowers and cash at it, a few well-wishers were kicked in
the teeth and vowed never to return.
Those are the people to visit and
convince that their absence was the reason for bad times and the good
times need their presence. The business aggression approach calls for
swallowing one's pride and extending hands calling for help.
To me, the self-destruction button is
the pretence of self-sufficiency. Comparisons with the past and
mediocre neighbours is also one suicidal trait exhibited by the club.
The making amends and building bridges with those that did not tow
the line is not a weakness. Maybe it was then, but not now.
The contrasting fortunes of the beauty
and the beast in terms of times demand extra efforts to carry out
innovations and programs never heard of or done before. Tradition and
culture could find themselves over-rated but the preserving of the
same becomes visible if the vehicles to progress is well-maintained.
The mistrust between past and present
executive committees is a selfish and notorious naivety which I
suspect does not exist in the club as many think. It is the
satisfaction with the general status quo that is a problem. Of
course, the mercenary external forces trying to influence player
development and recruitment as well as highlighting performances of
individual players for marketing purposes threatens the team deeply
from those pretending to love the team.
The bigger threat is that they work
from within and have the power to influence events by pen, word or
vision. They partake in their lethal schemes by association, sympathy
and kinness. They may wield power now in disguise, but time will tell
and that is not the point.
What Bosso needs to be doing now, is
shelf traditionalist and cultural-ism costumes and don the 21st
century technologies for their data-base of fans and sponsors.
The initiative of The Bosso Legends
died a smooth death, but that was one of the best ever thing to
happen to the club, only if it was looked and treated in a good way.
The initiative suffered the same fate looming at the Highlanders
Football Academy that is being taken to the gallows by the haters.
The two are just a few examples of the
'kill them before they grow' attitude revolving around the questions
of 'who do they think they are' and 'what are they trying to do'
negativity.
As for the Legends, many have bright
ideas and time to exploit situations for the benefits of the club. I
always said that the club's weakness built on the flawed past of
pride was that people thought it is wrong for anyone to make money
out of the Highlanders name. Contrary, the only way for the club to
make money is for someone to make money.
As an example, the Legends could print
and market stickers and other memorabilia for a 50-50 profit deal
with the club. Few business could refuse working with Peter, Adam,
Madinda Willard Khumalo, Netsayi Moyo and Lawrence Phiri just to name
a few. The executive committee's extent of running club affairs as
enshrined in the constitution would not be jeopardised.
One member tried to convinced me about
the existing mistrust at the Robert Mugabe offices. For me, he who
does not trust must never be trusted. This should work within a
certain scope and with intelligence. Integrity is not easy to attain
or discern, but the electorate should not be naïve to elect
suspicious office bearers.
In pushing to make good business,
Amahlolanyama need to up their game in the boardroom and pull up the
socks as not to miss the boat. The initiative for the funeral and
medical schemes should be implemented promptly and the club and the
Legends should share the profits at 50-50.
Any business carrying the risk and
injecting capital as well as the rest of the resources lie manpower
and intellectual property, must enjoy the use the brand but pay the
royalties in legally binding contracts that make it worthwhile for
the projects to perpetuate symbiotically for the benefit of the club
and the risk taker.
As long as this concept is disregarded,
'iTeam Yezwe lonke' will remain isolated financial as 'lofunayo
esesekela'. The club must make money in good and bad times, and in
these good times, taking advantage of the team's results is not
rocket science, but I know Peter Dube to be one.
It would be such a shame to once again
have the Highlanders avail itself as a beggar at a street corner in
tattered shorts showing buttocks. Mind you, these beggars sniff glue
and have lice. If there is one thing the club supporters can do, this
is one project that truly belong to them and it is them who can do it
for the good of Bosso, but the Peter Dube regime must stand up and be
counted without undue external influence of the Dracula.
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