Highlanders CEO Denzil Mnkandla Suspended Amidst Financial Irregularity Allegations

The Zimbabwe Times reports a significant escalation in the ongoing dispute between Highlanders Football Club and its chief executive officer, Denzil Mnkandla. Mnkandla has been suspended for the second time in three months, with the club reportedly considering involving the police due to alleged financial irregularities linked to the team’s pre-season tour of Botswana.

Mnkandla received his latest suspension letter this week, shortly after he declared his financial incapacitation, citing unpaid salaries. While this recent suspension is directly related to his claims regarding salary arrears, investigations into the controversial Botswana trip have intensified.

Sources indicate that the club’s executive is contemplating referring the matter to law enforcement if internal inquiries confirm criminal prejudice against the club.

A club source stated, “The executive wants to exhaust internal processes first, but there is a feeling that if there is evidence of financial prejudice, then the matter cannot simply end with disciplinary action.

Reporting it to the police is one of the options being seriously considered.” This development further exacerbates the administrative crisis that has plagued the Bulawayo-based club for several months, straining relations between Mnkandla and the executive.

Mnkandla, formerly an administrator for FC Platinum, was initially suspended in April. This first suspension followed allegations that expenses for the Botswana training camp had been considerably inflated.

Investigations focused on claims that the club might have overpaid by as much as US$20,000 beyond the actual cost of the trip, purportedly due to the involvement of middlemen in arranging accommodation and other logistical services. Furthermore, sources alleged that the club’s standard procurement procedures were bypassed, specifically the mandatory requirement to obtain at least three quotations from service providers.

Although Mnkandla’s initial suspension was intended to facilitate investigations, Highlanders’ legal counsel later advised his reinstatement. This decision came after Mnkandla’s legal team challenged the process, arguing that due process had not been observed. Consequently, he returned to his duties while the investigations continued.

However, a new conflict arose when Mnkandla informed chairman Kenneth Mhlophe in writing that he was unable to report for duty, citing the club’s failure to pay his salary since March. In his correspondence, Mnkandla emphasized that he was not resigning but was financially incapacitated, preventing him from performing his responsibilities due to the club’s breach of its contractual obligation to remunerate him.

This second suspension within a three-month period suggests that the relationship between Denzil Mnkandla and the Highlanders’ leadership may be irrevocably damaged.