Post #459

🏆 No Gold for a Football Club The government of Zimbabwe istaking back the Inyathi gold mine—but not from a negligent investor, rather from a local football club. Let’s unpack how footballers came to own a gold mine, and why it is now being reclaimed. ⬇️ ➡️ The story concerns one of Zimbabwe’s oldest clubs, Highlanders. It may not shine across Africa, but it is seems to be one of the strongest at home. In 2020, ahead of the club’s 95th anniversary, President Mnangagwa decided to support Highlanders, as their revenues were suffering from COVID-19 lockdowns. No better idea emerged than gifting the football club a gold mine. ➡️ It soon turned out that the club, already struggling with declining income, could not find the funds to invest in gold production—and apparently had little desire to dig it out by hand. In 2022 the club received permission to kick off operations, which apparently never started. The return of Inyathi to the state is directly linked to the club’s failure to start mining as well as to express any intention to renew the license. The first such experiment for Zimbabwe, it can clearly be judged a failure. A populist move on the part of the Zimbabwean President, it had little chance to work out. Still, even though it did not work for Highlanders, maybe it will work for someone else and somewhere else. Independent, Honest, Yours - @devilsbelow