Former Moroka Swallows president Panyaza Lesufi insists that it is unfair to point fingers at anyone following the maladministration at the Dube Birds which finds the club on the brink of an imminent sale.
Waiting for the green light
Swallows are waiting for the Premier Soccer League’s ratification of the Dube Birds’ status sale to Marumo Gallants as owner Abram Sello is itching to get back under the bright lights of the top flight.
The Dube Birds experienced one of their most financially taxing seasons under the leadership of chairman David Mogashoa as the club failed to honour two matches in the previous term and was dealt with harshly by the PSL.
Swallows were fined R1 million for their no-show in DStv Premiership games against Mamelodi Sundowns and Golden Arrows.
In the latest developments, Swallows’ top brass have thrown in the towel as their pockets continue to run dry even after releasing several personnel whose remuneration took a lion’s share of the club’s limited revenue.
“It is not like Mr Mogashoa did not try. The number of sponsorships that he tried to get and those who were declined (by the PSL). You can’t say he did not try to get a technical sponsor for the jersey,” Lesufi said on Metro FM.
“You can’t say he did not try to recruit the best players and to get the best coach in terms of Steve Komphela. That was a commitment on its own, but what do you do when the history of the team itself is dragging you down?
“What do you do when FIFA says these players have to be paid, and it is millions of Rands, and when you don’t have those resources, you have to review. If the financial model of the team is not working, what do you do?”
Supporters’ concern
The Swallows faithful – who were charmed to invest in the club during the revival crusade in 2017, have a portion of shares in the club’s stake and are now aggrieved after a lack of consultation on the pending sale.
One Thulani Mayekiso, who plumbed in his personal earnings to help resurrect the side, also expressed his displeasure with being kept in the dark.
“It is a cold day in hell, it is difficult to swallow. I bought several shares and it is not about the money but it was about the concept that was sold to us by Lesufi and we bought into it. We have been unbelievably thrown under the bus,” Mayekiso said.
“It is not the end of it, we are here, we are not going anywhere. We know no other football home. We will be waiting on the wings to add value to be recognized and to help the club grow. We need every stakeholder to be recognized,” Mayekiso added.
Lesufi, meanwhile, admits he and the club’s exco are guilty as charged and promises to have a sit down with every stakeholder where all matters will be painted on a canvas for all to see.
“There should have been better communication. We have called a meeting to clarify and explain how this thing is going to work and make sure each and every individual is aware of where they stand.
"Do we love to see Swallows going down, definitely not. But should we watch the team being expelled from the PSL or watch the team either being liquidated or watch the team going through these financial difficulties?"
“We are sorry if we did not communicate. But we did not want to communicate something that is not final. At the right moment, Mr Mogashoa will convene everyone and make the information.
“But the route that we are taking now is inevitable because if we don’t follow it now, the worst can happen. The team can be demoted by FIFA because we cannot meet the financial obligations,” Lesufi said.
A tale of history
This is not the first time that the Dube Birds are shot down and every time, Swallows always find a way to grow back their wings. However, this time around, the future looks bleak.
Maswaiswai have been in a whirlpool over the past decade where they were first relegated from the premium division in the 2014/15 season. That is when all the problems started.
Swallows were relegated from the National First Division in their first season and found themselves in the dusty ABC Motsepe League for three campaigns before buying their way back to the NFD ahead of the 2019/20 campaign.
The Dube Birds then won the NFD with the help of players like seasoned ‘ballers Vuyo Mere and Lebohang ‘Cheeseboy’ Mokoena.
However, the financial model of the club turned out to be unsustainable, and the daily operations have not been up to the expected standards.
Former head coach, Komphela – who was the marquee recruit – opened a can of worms about the underwhelming manner in which the team was run during his tenure.
Goodbye, for now
Lesufi, however, appears to be a prisoner of hope and promises that this is not the end of the once-mighty Soweto giants.
“To the supporters of Swallows, this is not the end. We took this team from nowhere to be where it is. Unfortunately, our history is our downfall.
“The way this team was managed previously, we thought we had cleaned it and thought everything was back on track. We tried various strategies of using Swallows and not Moroka Swallows, just to make sure that we cleaned up everything.
“But unfortunately history is still haunting us even today, and therefore we can’t just blame each other.
“I am hurt and disappointed because the hard work that has been done is going down the drain purely because of matters that are beyond Mr Mogashoa and the current team.
“I feel pity for the players because they fought to survive relegation and you don’t want them to be unemployed. We want to protect their interest and that is a process we will take.
