Byo City guzzle BCC money
AFTER pouring over $1,1 million into Bulawayo City FC in the past three years, the Bulawayo City Council is sending an SOS, seeking funding partners as it struggles to fulfill its core business of service delivery.
The City Fathers approved the adoption of the team by council despite unfavourable economic conditions in the country that have seen the local authority struggling to pay its workers as councillors decided to copy their Harare counterparts without looking at the financial implications.
The local authority started funding Amakhosi in 2015, a year before they were promoted into the country’s top flight league in 2016. Council spokesperson Nesisa Mpofu revealed that in 2015 they pumped in $270 201, last season, their maiden year in the elite league, the local authority funded the team to the tune of $612 973 while this season they have so far released $219 802, bringing the total to $1 102 976. Mpofu said it was up to the club to hold other fund-raising activities to boost their grant.
Reports in our sister paper B-Metro this week revealed that the side is yet to pay its players salaries for the past three months. In an interview with Sunday Sport, Town Clerk Christopher Dube acknowledged that the team was faced with a difficult future as the local authority was limping hence the need to identify partners that would allow the side to survive financially.
“The team is by all means part of council’s mandate in terms of community development. We have an obligation to see to it that the team survives through whatever challenges but as we all know, even the local authority itself is limping hence we cannot sponsor the team to the tune which they would want.
“When that team was initially launched the idea was that after a certain period of time it becomes self-sustainable or at least they could have identified sponsors outside the local authority. Seeing to it that they haven’t by now we have no choice but to accept that the team is our burden. However, at the same time we continue calling for anyone willing to come on board and assist the team in any way possible,” said Dube.
He said it would be selfish for the local authority to hold onto the team with a tight grip as there will come a time when the council would not be able to sponsor it, as they also had other obligations which they had to face.
“We are tasked with service delivery in the city hence we have to balance our monies and ensure that they are channelled towards the rightful use,” he said.
A section of the city’s residents were against the adoption of the team by council as the local authority is struggling to fund its core activity of service delivery due to the crunch financial situation facing the country. Harare, who have a team in the Premiership, were forced to drastically cut the budget to the club because of financial constraints. Another city with a competitive football club is Mutare.