Nomads bow to pressure
Be Forward Wanderers FC board of trustees has effected a 50 percent reduction in registration fees for aspirants that will contest during the upcoming executive and main supporters’ committees elections.
The decision comes amid an outcry from the aspirants that the fees were excessive considering the tough economic challenges facing the country.
In an interview yesterday, the board’s secretary Patrick Jumbe said they met some aspirants on Monday who expressed “deep concern over the set fees”.
According to earlier communication, aspirants for the executive committee chairperson’s seat were mandated to pay K200 000 ($277), which has now come down to K100 000 ($138). Vice-chairperson, general secretary and treasurer bids were pegged at K150 000 each and now is at K75 000 ($104).
The positions of second vice-chairperson, vice-treasurer and vice-general secretary were nailed at K100 000, but now the aspirants will pay K50 000 ($69) while those seeking the executive committee places will pay K40 000 ($55) instead of K80 000 ($111).
In the supporters category, the chairperson position seekers were being asked to pay K50 000, but will now cough K25 000 ($35), vice-chairperson aspirants will now part with K15 000 ($21) and not K30 000 ($42).
The secretary’s position will now cost K17 500 ($24), a drop from K35 000 ($48) while the vice-secretary aspirants’ fee has gone down from K25 000 to K12 500 and committee members will pay K10 000 instead of the initial K20 000 ($28).
Jumbe said the meeting with the aspirants, mostly from the supporters’ side, was fruitful because it helped the board to appreciate their concerns.
He said: “We reasoned with the supporters that the fees may bar dedicated people from contesting simply because of lack of fees. This is the main reason we decided to revise them.”
Nonetheless, Jumbe defended the initial set of fees, saying it was the same during the 2014 elections.
“There were a few revisions, but most positions the fees were the same,” he said. “But we understand that the economic situation is not tolerant this time around.”
Jumbe said registration fees will cater for logistics such as security.
Meanwhile, the supporters outgoing committee secretary Paul Mphepo, who was part of the delegation that met the board, welcomed the reduction, saying it shows that the board is caring.
“We are so pleased with the decision because it is a clear sign that the board has trustees who listen to the concerns of the supporters,” he said.
About 1 500 registered Wanderers supporters will elect the supporters’ committee this Saturday before casting the vote for the main executive committee on February 6, 2016.
Meanwhile, the Wanderers board has not revised the club’s membership fee despite an outcry that its jump from K1 000 to K2 000 was unfair.
The board said the cost of producing the identity cards had gone up; therefore, it would not make any economic sense
