Highlanders fans should be grateful to Wicknell Chivayo for saving their club from potential bankruptcy.
His sponsorship has preserved a heritage institution that was on the brink of collapse.
While his financial support is invaluable, publicly attaching conditions and withholding funds when they are not met risks destabilising the very club he seeks to protect.
Sponsorship should empower, not weaken.
After fighting relegation in 2025, life members must acknowledge that Chivayo has bought them more time in the top flight.
If they truly value independence, this is their chance to prove it by matching or surpassing his contributions.
Rhetoric alone will not sustain Highlanders—tangible financial commitment will.
Fans, too, must show gratitude. The Soweto end, famous for its passion, should channel some energy into appreciation rather than criticism.
Criticism without contribution is hollow, especially when supporters themselves cannot raise the funds needed to keep Bosso alive.
Chivayo’s money is a temporary fix; structural reform is the long-term solution.
Administrators must be held accountable for years of alleged financial mismanagement. Systems must be tightened to prevent graft and to ensure professional players are rewarded fairly compared to amateurs.
Community-owned clubs like Highlanders face immense challenges in Zimbabwe’s informal economy. Corporate-backed teams and privately owned clubs enjoy relative ease, while Highlanders struggle to survive.
Donations, though unsustainable, remain the only lifeline for now. Accepting this reality is not weakness—it is survival.
This is the reality of Zimbabwean football: politically connected figures and corporations are keeping clubs afloat.
It is natural for a donor to exercise influence, but Chivayo’s public insistence on Benjani Mwaruwari as head coach was ill-advised, just as Highlanders’ public rebuff was poorly handled.
Two coaching appointments in 20 days, coupled with the silence on South African coach Thabo Senong’s fate, have turned the club into a circus in the eyes of outsiders. Such instability tarnishes the brand and risks legal disputes.
The season ahead presents a dilemma: will Mwaruwari be held to account like any other club employee if he fails to deliver, or will his benefactor’s influence shield him from scrutiny?
No matter how much fans dislike the donor or his chosen coach, Highlanders cannot afford to reject him for now. His money settles outstanding salaries and sign-on fees, breathing life into the fading giant. Big egos cannot fund operations—Chivayo’s money can. While he claims not to want control, his influence is inevitable, and understandably so.
This is a multi-million-dollar donation to a club that has a history of not publishing audited financials.
Highlanders fans must embrace Chivayo’s support while using this breathing space to build lasting solutions—strengthening administrators, promoting transparency, and generating independent revenue.
Donations are not sustainable, but they are the only way community ownership can survive in today’s volatile environment. The challenge now is to adapt, reform, and ensure Highlanders never again stand on the brink of relegation.
What’s important now is to engage the donor and request the early release of funds in future so that Bosso can go to the market when quality players are still available.
