News reaching Sunday World is that six interested bidders have submitted their bids to purchase PSL club Royal AM, which was put on auction by the South African Revenue Service (Sars) curator.
The deadline to submit proposals was on Friday and the curator, Jaco Venter, is sitting with six letters of intent to take ownership of the club.
One bid is alleged to be in the region of R20-million.
After protracted consultations with their commercial lawyers on Friday, the consortium led by former SuperSport United PRO and MK Party member of parliament David “Mazolman” Skosana and Joe “Ferrari” Sibanyoni, a renowned entrepreneur in the taxi and logistics business, also submitted their bid.
Part of the consortium’s big plan is to relocate the club to KwaNdebele in Mpumalanga in the 2025/2026 PSL season.
Venter was not available on his cellphone to shed light on the latest developments, and information reaching Sunday World is that hot-shot DJ Black Coffee may have also lodged a serious proposition.
Sports minister Gayton McKenzie has openly stated that he wants the team to be back in Bloemfontein. He is said to be engaging with some Greek
businessmen keen on acquiring the club.
Another bid is to be coming from outside the borders of SA. A businessman from Democratic Republic of the Congo is alleged to be keen on acquiring the ownership of the embattled club.
Royal AM was put under curatorship after it was reported that the club owner, flamboyant businesswoman Shauwn “MaMkhize” Mkhize, owes the taxman in the region of R40-million.
In January, the KZN club was suspended by the PSL after it failed to honour some of its cup and league matches. The club was then put up for sale by Sars to recover Mkhize’s debt to the taxman. The club is languishing at the bottom of the Betway Premiership, and they are staring at the barrel of the gun.
Well-placed insiders have revealed that interested parties were put off and turned away by some of the clauses contained in the sale agreement document, which Sunday World has seen.
They include a court dispute with political party DA, which is pressing for the club to pay back some of the R27-million sponsorship deal (over three years) the club and Msunduzi Municipality had agreed upon.
A figure in the region of R9-million for the deal has allegedly been paid to the club.
Another red flag for other potential buyers was the outstanding salaries and contracts of the players, which have not been disclosed.
The club still owes Samir Nurkovic in the region of R15-million – they also have financial quarrels with four other players in the league’s dispute resolution chamber.
The potential buyers wanted a breakdown of the club’s outstanding debts and contracts from the league but the information is not forthcoming.
Reads the sale agreement papers: “The seller is also engaged in a dispute with the (DA) party in terms whereof the DA seeks to review and set aside the sponsorship agreement between the club and Msunduzi Municipality.
“Furthermore, the DA seeks an order in terms whereof the seller is ordered to repay any and all amounts advanced to the club, with interest, in accordance with the aforementioned sponsorship agreement. The matter was heard on February 28 in the High Court (Kwa-Zulu Natal Division, Pietermaritzburg) and judgment was reserved.
“At the time of concluding this agreement, the seller is the subject of a player transfer ban issued by Fifa’s football Tribunal in respect of non-payment of funds concerning Samir Nurkovic; disputes concerning applications for free agency with the NSL’s dispute resolution chamber in respect of Marlon Heugh, Ayabulela Maxwele, Khulekani Shezi, Sabelo Sithole, Sbangani Zulu and Shadrack Kobedi,” the sales agreement document states.
The winning bid will be announced tomorrow, but the transfer of ownership must be submitted to the PSL executive committee for prior written approval, as per the PSL handbook.
