Controversy As Harare Council Splurges On Premier League Football Club As City Services Suffer

Harare City Council Splurges On Premier League Football Club Despite Poor Service Delivery

The Harare City Council is poised to make a dramatic and costly return to top-flight football, spending on a Premier League football club while residents grapple with crumbling services. A secretive deal would see the municipal authority buy its way back into the elite league, raising immediate questions about the use of public funds.

Information from ZiFM Stereo News indicates that the council quietly acquired the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League franchise of the newly promoted Marondera side, FC Hunters. A highly placed source stated the deal, involving a cash payment and parcels of council land for the shareholders, was signed at Town House on December 11.

Mayor Cautions Deal Is Not Yet Done

Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume has moved to temper the reports, cautioning that while preliminary steps may have been taken, full council approval is still required. He framed the potential acquisition as a contingency plan for the council’s own team, which was relegated in 2022.

“We have processes in the council that we follow,” Mafume said. “We were competing in the league to be able to get into the Premier League, and if the teams above us face certain challenges, we have a commitment to fulfil entry into the Premier League once it is clear that those who are above us are unable to do so.”

Mafume acknowledged that groundwork may have been laid, but stressed the council’s formal procedures are decisive.

“Preliminary issues could have been dealt with and signed for,” he said, “but anything that involves council will need to be approved by the full council. Until such time that the letter is presented before the full council, we are still within the processes.”

A Short-Lived Dream For Marondera

If ratified, the transaction would end a historic football moment for the town of Marondera. FC Hunters had only just earned promotion as champions of the 2025 Pacific Storm ZIFA Eastern Region Division One League in October, delivering the town its first-ever top-flight team since 1980. Their premiership stay would last mere weeks.

The deal signals a major shift for FC Hunters, which has publicly dismissed claims of financial distress. The sale would remove the substantial financial burden of top-flight football from its owners.

For Harare City Council, the move reopens a controversial chapter. The municipality’s previous football club was widely criticised for draining public resources. Funding was cut by Mayor Mafume in May 2023 due to operational irregularities. In 2022, the council itself rejected a proposal to inject US$2.3 million (approx. R43 million) into Harare City FC over six months, with councillors arguing scarce funds should prioritise service delivery. The council also faces ongoing criticism over the poor state of Rufaro Stadium.

Despite this history, the franchise acquisition would immediately return Harare City to the premiership for the 2026 season, setting up a high-stakes return and guaranteeing renewed scrutiny of the council’s financial priorities.