HARARE – Controversial businessman Wicknell Chivayo on Wednesday announced a $1 million sponsorship package for Highlanders to bolster their league campaign.
Chivayo, who describes himself as an “avid supporter” of the Bulawayo club said he would immediately make $250,000 available for the club which is also sponsored by Scott Sakupwanya’s Betterbrands and Sakunda, owned by Kudakwashe Tagwirei.
Announcing the sponsorship, Chivayo said: “It is my greatest pleasure to avail sponsorship worth US$250,000 in cash to Highlanders FC, as my small token to assist the club in its various administrative requirements.
“This is just but part of a broader sponsorship package of US$1 million that will run over the next year to help the club to secure new talent and cover player sign-on fees in order to foster a more competitive 2025 Premier Soccer League.”
He said he had appointed Jabulani Nkomo, the son of the late vice president John Landa Nkomo, as his pointman “to work closely with the leadership of Highlanders FC, ensuring that the disbursement of this sponsorship is strictly in accordance with the club’s budgeted expenditures to support player welfare and strengthen administrative excellence.”
Chivayo spent part of his childhood in Bulawayo. Remembering those days, he said he was “passionate about football in general and Highlanders FC in particular.”
A recent trip to the city for the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair reminded him “once again of the unbreakable bond between culture, football, and community… a bond that transcends generations.”
In February, Chivayo gave the club $27,000 to avert a FIFA transfer ban over salary arrears owed to their former coach Baltemar Brito and his assistant Antonio Joao Torres.
The 42-year-old’s associations with the club are not without controversy as some fans remain concerned about reports linking Chivayo to corrupt state tenders worth over $100 million. He denies wrongdoing.
