By Takunda Mandura
City of Harare, currently embroiled in financial problems that are hampering service delivery, is still sponsoring its array of sports teams including the infamous Harare City FC which gobbles millions.
This was revealed by the Council’s Corporate Communications Manager Michael Chideme who revealed that the local authorities are still in the process of weaning off the sports teams.
“We are in the process of weaning off all our sports teams, it’s a process so we are encouraging our teams to find potential funders , weaning off is a process and we still in the process ,” he said
City Council has been under fire for spending thousands of dollars on Harare City Football Club and other sporting teams while neglecting critical service delivery issues such as providing clean water.
In his 2019 State of the City address, Harare Mayor Obert Gomba confirmed that the Sunshine Boys will have a different sponsor starting from next season as the City Fathers have withdrawn.
“We are no longer going to continue sponsoring Harare City FC as we have other priorities,” said Gomba.
The 2020 PSL is season is set to start in March
Last season, Harare City Football Club set tongues wagging after revelations that coach Lloyd Chitembwe is being paid a monthly salary of ZWL$20 000 after-tax and was also allegedly getting at least 200 litres of fuel per week, a residential stand in upmarket Borrowdale and a winning bonus of ZWL$3 500 a match.
His two assistants Nelson Matongorere and Fungai ‘Tostao’ Kwashi allegedly get a monthly salary of ZWL$8 000 each.’
Beside sponsoring the football team council sponsors netball, volley and golf teams
Recently the Netball team has participated in the regional Zone 6 Championships
Two years ago, former Mayor Bernard Manyenyeni revealed that the football club gobbled $6 million in ratepayers’ money to finance their campaign in the top-flight league.
A recent study conducted by South African company Nanotech Water Solutions concluded that the health of 3 million Harare residents may be endangered by the provision of water containing toxins that can cause liver and central nervous system diseases as Council struggles to finance the operations.
Currently, the Council needs about RTGS$40 million to buy water treatment chemicals.
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