By Ntokozo Magongo
MBABANE – The out-going Mbabane Swallows Management Committee (MC) said they were fully committed in support the new regime in the team.
This comes after the official handover of the club to Mbabane Swallows (Pty) Ltd, under the leadership of Princess Lungile who is former wife to the late Victor Gamedze. The out-going MC included Acting President Absalom Ngwenya, Chairman Welile Mabuza and Governor Sandile ‘Beyond 2 000’ Zwane among others.
The Ex-MC released a goodbye statement on Tuesday after handing over some of the club’s documents to the coming in MC.
“The outgoing Mbabane Swallows FC committee remains loyal and transparent to the club’s brand and all pending assets are to be handed over for continuation of the club’s operations. As we mark the end of term, we immensely appreciate all stakeholders who made our operations successful during our tenure; we achieved all the listed successes because of your support.
We further affirm that as we vacate office, we remain Mbabane Swallows FC at heart hence we will continue supporting the team’s activities without interfering in its operations.
To the club’s supporters: we sincerely thank you for the unwavering support you showed us during our tenure, and we encourage you to continue standing firmly behind the team,” reads part of the statement.
The outgoing MC wishes the Mbabane Swallows brand continued success and remains committed to supporting the club by attending matches and cheering it on.
“It is important to reiterate that Mbabane Swallows Football Club and Mbabane Swallows (Pty) Ltd are two distinct entities. The latter has now assumed full operational control of the club, as was the case during the tenure of the late Victor Gamedze,” reads part of the statement.
They added that prior to these developments, the club had demonstrated significant growth and success, evident in achievements such as playing in all finals, winning the 2023/24 Eswatini Premier League (PLE) MTN Premier League title, participating in the prestigious CAF tournaments, securing strategic sponsorships with both local and international companies, implementing youth development programs, and establishing a foundation. They said these milestones were achieved during a period of remarkable self-direction and collective effort within the club.
The MC added that
They said this decision follows persistent demands and actions by the managers of Mbabane Swallows (Pty) Ltd, which can be described as attempts to hijack and disrupt the operations of the club.
“Players received half of their September salaries and no October salaries. It was anticipated that the CAF participation money would be released on time to cover the players’ salaries, as we were committed to their welfare. Unfortunately, the CAF payment process is known to be time-consuming.
All available funds were directed towards covering CAF logistics. The club was operating at a negative financial balance. We are deeply grateful to our strategic partners and Arch Bishop Bheki Lukhele for their unwavering support during this period, providing essential assistance that helped sustain the team by covering a portion of the club’s expenses,” reads part of the statement.
Meanwhile, MC explained that the team was operating on negative financial balance.
They said as they are going out, players are owed two months salaries for November and October while September was paid in half.
