Businessman Wicknell Chivayo has announced a landmark US$1 million sponsorship package for Highlanders Football Club, revealing that the pledge is in fulfilment of a deathbed promise made to his late uncle, former Vice President John Landa Nkomo.
In a social media post on Wednesday, 11 June, Chivayo declared his deep-rooted connection to the Bulawayo-based club, affectionately known as “Bosso,” and outlined a multi-layered support plan to revive its competitive edge.
The sponsorship will begin with an immediate cash injection of US$250,000 to assist with the club’s administrative needs.
Chivayo said the remaining US$750,000 will be disbursed over the next year, specifically earmarked to help the club secure new talent and cover player sign-on fees for a more competitive 2025 Premier Soccer League season.
Citing a powerful final conversation with the late Vice President Nkomo in December 2012, Chivayo said his uncle had three dying wishes for him: to support the ruling ZANU PF party, to look after the family trust, and to provide meaningful support to Highlanders FC. Chivayo wrote:
Being the avid football supporter that he was, he asked me to assist Highlanders FC in every possible way, in order to preserve its HISTORY, shape its FUTURE, and create a lasting LEGACY of the football club in Zimbabwe, for GENERATIONS to come.
To ensure financial transparency, Chivayo has appointed a curator, Jabulani Nkomo, a Bulawayo businessman and trusted relative, to oversee the disbursement of the funds. Said Chivayo:
I have nominated JABULANI NKOMO, a long-standing, trusted relative of mine and a successful businessman who’s a respected figure in BULAWAYO, to assist the Club in a CURATORSHIP role.
His involvement will ONLY be 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 described the 98-year-old club, founded by grandsons of King Lobengula, as a “phenomenal cultural icon that represents heritage, pride and unity.”
He also framed his contribution within a national context, aligning it with President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s call for private sector involvement in national development under Vision 2030. Chivayo said:
It is my humble CONVICTION that there should be significant private-sector involvement in sports development, in order to make a NOTABLE difference to the game of FOOTBALL.
This latest multi-million dollar pledge is not the first time Wicknell Chivayo has extended financial support to Highlanders.
Earlier this year, the businessman was instrumental in helping the club avoid a FIFA transfer ban by settling an outstanding US$27,000 debt owed to former coach Baltemar Brito and his assistant, Antonio Joao Torres.
That intervention was critical, as the ban on registering new players threatened to cripple the team ahead of the Premier Soccer League season.
Chivayo’s history of support dates back even further, as he also covered a US$4,000 fine imposed on the club in 2017 following crowd trouble during a match against rivals Dynamos.
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