WeeklySA_AdminINTERDICT: MAMKHIZE’S CURVED BALL TO PSL BOARD OF GOVERNORS
By Sports Reporter
Chairman Irvin Khoza was livid. Board member Kaizer Motaung was not amused, while CEO Manto Madlala was seething.
This after “expelled” Royal AM filled an urgent court interdict to hold a virtual meeting of the PSL board of governors scheduled for Thursday, April 16. The meeting scheduled for 11:00 had to be adjourned with news that Royal AM had filed an urgent court interdict, leaving a sour taste in the mouth and a headache for the ever-busy PSL board of governors.
Last week, the PSL ExCo recommended that Royal AM be expelled from the league for failure to honour their fixtures in 2025.
Following last week’s ballot to cancel the club’s membership from the professional ranks by an overwhelming vote, the League called on the BOG to finalise the matter.
Royal AM were suspended from playing any of their domestic matches when it emerged the club had been taken over by a SARS curator in December last year.
This was part of an attempt to recoup a tax debt of around R40-million linked to club president Shauwn Mkhize and her family trust.
Despite several efforts by the curator to find a solution, which included auctioning off the status to potential buyers, the PSL executive committee felt the team could not be rescued and recommended all clubs under the NSL umbrella terminate their membership.
This financial turmoil, compounded by Royal AM’s failure to honor domestic fixtures, led the Premier Soccer League’s (PSL) Board of Governors to vote for the club’s immediate expulsion.
At Press time Thursday evening, the PSL had not yet responded to MaMkhize’s curved ball, with a statement expected during the Easter break. As the storm rages and apparently unable to control her craving for the spotlight, the “embattled” reality TV star and KwaZulu-Natal businesswoman this week appeared in social media posts she and family enjoying the goodies of life in a yatch in Dubai.
It was only four years ago when MaMkhize burst onto the PSL scene with Royal AM in 2021. The club, bought from Bloemfontein Celtic, had lofty ambitions and catapulted MaMkhize to iconic status as a symbol of women empowerment in a male dominated sport.
Insiders say poor governance led to the Royal collapse. Who can forget an incident in 2021 when she flashed R200 notes to her players on the pitch, in full view of the fans and TV cameras. The curtain finally came down on Thursday last week when PSL clubs voted overwhelmingly to expel Thwihli Thwahla from the league, sparking a points row for the Betway Premiership league.
The termination of Royal AM’s PSL membership could also see its players automatically become free agents.
Its been a rough time for the players who were not paid their salaries for the last two months as a result of being under curatorship.
How the might have fallen.
