BULAWAYO – The Bulawayo City Council plans to more than double funding for its football club, even as the local authority grapples with severe service delivery challenges including potholed roads, chronic water shortages and delayed salaries for its employees.
Bulawayo City Football Club, currently competing in Division One in the country’s second-tier, was relegated from the Premier Soccer League in 2022. Club administrators later took the unusual decision to drop two divisions to Southern Region Division Two, citing inadequate funding to sustain competition in Division One at the time.
The gamble paid off, with the team earning promotion back to Division One where it finished fourth last season.
Now, documents seen by ZimLive show that councillors have passed a proposal to increase the club’s monthly grant from US$10,000 to US$25,000 — translating to US$300,000 per year.
In a report presented to the council’s finance committee, the director of housing and community services, Dictor Khumalo, said councillors who sit on the board of the football club felt that increased financial support was necessary to consolidate the team’s progress.
“Increased financial support will enable the team to build on recent progress, reduce injury risk, enhance player welfare and development, and improve competitive results,” Khumalo said.
“This investment will deliver long-term value through development of talent, improved performance, sustainability, and organisational reputation. The house felt that the football team has demonstrated commitment, improvement, and clear potential for development. Targeted financial investment at this stage is both timely and necessary to convert progress into consistent success.”
However, the proposal has sparked dissent within council, with at least one councillor questioning the priorities of the cash-strapped local authority.
“The department of housing and community services is struggling with securing chemicals to control mosquitoes, but we are more than doubling the allocation for a football team in Division One. Make that make sense,” the councillor told ZimLive.
“It’s a clear money-making scheme by someone. That team should be disbanded — we have far better priorities.”
Khumalo justified funding the football club, insisting it formed part of council’s corporate social responsibility, saying it helped “remove youths from the streets by nurturing talent.”
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