Eccentric and flamboyant businesswoman Shauwn ‘MaMkhize’ Mkhize was on Saturday afternoon unveiled as the new president of Mbabane Highlanders AM Football Club at a glittering function in Eswatini. Mkhize was accompanied by her son, Andile Mpisane at the launch.
She has already rebranded the club and added the gold colours of her former PSL club Royal AM onto the black and white corporate colours of Highlanders, citing unity between the two brands and countries.
Contrary to reports, Mkhize did not purchase the club. The Swazis gave her a three-year contract to run the club. The previous chairman Bheki Simelane had signed an 18-month contract. According to a well-placed Swati journalist, the clubs are usually not for sale. They prefer to give people a contract to run clubs as they wish.
Royal expulsion
Earlier this year, the Premier Soccer League (PSL) Board of Governors (BoG) terminated Royal AM’s membership of the league. For about 10 months, the club failed to honour PSL fixtures and have been under the SA Revenue Service (SARS) curatorship over a tax debt of around R40 million linked to owner, MaMkhize.
The league was then forced to finish with 15 teams after the expulsion of Mkhize’s club and her efforts to have the dismissal annulled in the courts of law have proved fruitless.
In her acceptance speech yesterday which Sunday World has seen, Mkhize mentioned that it was a great honour to stand before the guests as the new president of Mbabane Highlanders AM FC.
“Mbabane Highlanders is a symbol of pride, strength and tradition. And today marks a new chapter, not a takeover but a partnership. A merging of histories between Eswatini and South Africa, rooted in shared ambition and excellence.
“To the patrons, my heartfelt thanks for your trust. To the fans, you are the soul of this club. Together, we will raise the standard, grow our talent and bring this club the success it deserves. My promise is simple: I will lead with integrity, vision and heart. We’re not here to participate, we’re here to elevate.
“Thank you for welcoming me into your family. Mbabane Highlanders AM FC, our time is now. Let’s make history. Ngiyabonga kakhulu,” Mkhize added.
