Popular football administrator Sinky Mnisi was paid over R1-million in four months by his club Marumo Gallants to pay a sangoma to help the team bounce back to the money-spinning PSL.
The staggering quantum includes Mnisi’s mouth-watering monthly salary of R200 000.
But Mnisi and Gallants’s plan of relying on magic from traditional healers instead of technical football erudition to win the league boomeranged because the club lost several matches and is now languishing in position 12 on the log table.
As a result, Marumo Gallants are now demanding their money back from Mnisi, who has since left the club without explaining the rationale behind his mysterious departure.
These startling titbits are contained in the combined summons Marumo Gallants have obtained against Mnisi in the Joburg high court in which they seek an order to force him to pay back the money.
In the court papers, which we have seen, Marumo Gallants said on or about 15 August, they entered into a contract of employment whereby Mnisi was appointed the club’s chief executive officer for a year in the National First Division, where they ply their trade and another four years at the DStv Premier league where he promised to take them.
The contract, according to the club, was supposed to terminate automatically upon failure to achieve promotion to the DStv Premiership. The contract further stipulated that in the event of promotion to the elite league, this contract would terminate on July 31, 2028.
For his services, Minisi would be remunerated the amount of R200 000 per month for the first year which was dependent on achieving promotion to premier league.
Prior to the signing of the contract, said the club, Mnisi promised the club chairman Abram Sello he would make sure that the team is promoted by winning two of every three games played.
Marumo Gallants said Mnisi also promised the club chairman that to achieve this goal he needed a monthly salary of R200 000, included therein is a monthly payment for a traditional healer who would make sure that the club won two of every three games they played.
“The first three games were played on 27 August 2023, 2 September 2023 and 16 September 2023 respectively, there was not a single win.
“All of them were draws and plaintiff only achieved three points in three games,” read the papers.
Sello, a pharmacist, and Mnisi discussed this issue and the latter promised to win the next three games.
“The next three games were played on 23 September 2023, 30 September 2023 and 03 October 2023, and in this round the plaintiff managed to win two and lose one. This was at least an achievement,” read the papers.
The club said another three games were played on October 7, October 21 and October 27 respectively, and the team lost one game and drew two.
In this round the team did not achieve the goal, said the club.
The next round of the three games, said the club, were played on October 31, November 4 and November 11.
“On 31 October 2023, the team lost a game thereafter and the problem between the chairman and the defendant started. The plaintiff had played 11 games and achieved only 12 points.
“For the plaintiff to be promoted to DSTV, the plaintiff must either be on top of the log or be either position two or three to play for playoffs,” read the papers.
The club said Mnisi had asked to keep the kit at his house so that the promised traditional healer could access it and work on it without any hindrances.
The team said on November 1, the chairman sent a WhatsApp message to Mnisi showing dissatisfaction and requested him to return the club kit to the warehouse, saying he would make other plans with the traditional healer.
“After the WhatsApp communications, the plaintiff was surprised to learn about the defendant’s resignation in the media publication, which was never discussed by the parties.
“On November 7 the plaintiff received a referral by the defendant to Dispute Resolution Chamber (DRC) of the National Soccer League, claiming repudiation of contract by the plaintiff and the damages to the amount of R13 880 000,” read the papers.
The club said on November 13 its lawyers wrote a letter to Mnisi, giving him five days to state reasons as to why the club should not terminate the employment contract since he failed his contractual obligations.
But Mnisi replied, saying the matter had been referred to DRC.
The club said Mnisi had also made several unauthorised payments and the club feels defrauded by him because he voluntarily left it before the season could be finished.
It also said Mnisi had enriched himself with over R1-million for over three months that he stayed at the club.
“Wherefore plaintiff prays for termination of employment contract and payment of the amount of R1 039 146,” read the papers.
Mnisi referred us to his lawyer Kabelo Mashego who said: “We have taken the matter to the DRC after the club terminated the contract of our client without cause.
Mnisi and our law firm have not been served with the summons you are referring to and therefore we can’t comment on that.
“We are also not aware of the issue of muthi or sangomas or traditional healers, its an absurd allegations that we will deal with appropriately. These are serious allegations against our client” he said.
