Africa-Press – Eswatini. Trust was lost between Mbabane Highlanders Managing Director (MD) Chief Ally Kgomongwe and the National Supporters Committee (NSC) recently when the latter failed to account for the club’s sold replicas. The NSC had been entrusted to run the replica sale, as it was in charge of the supporters’ branches.
“About 600 replicas were delivered last season for our supporters, but there has been no money returned yet it was meant to boost the team’s coffers. We also pay the suppliers for the replicas and kits we wear, but to get nothing out of it was very disappointing. The supporters only gave management and the MD about E5 000,”an impeccable source revealed. This is said to have happened at the end of last season, when Kgomongwe met all the team’s structures to review their season.
Another source within the NSC said it was a big issue with the replicas when all these challenges happened.
“It all started when Space (Simiso Jele – team manager) got an accident in South Africa as the people who went to collect the merchandise from the car failed to report how much of it they got.
The MD is right to say only about 600 got to the NSC with one official (name deliberately withheld) selling them at a shop the clubs sells its merchandise but even there, it appeared not all was going right with the sales’ returns.
“There was also trouble at the clubhouse as there was a time when we fired a coach and the merchandise was left unattended in his house and some people helped themselves to it. Some of us supporters even bought it for as little as E150 to E200 from some team personnel,” claimed one source, also with the NSC.
Worst
The supporters said this was one of the worst replica sales the team has ever run, as nearly nothing was received.
“Yes, it’s true. We didn’t get what we expected from the replica sales, as supporters failed to account for them. That’s about 600 replicas, which would have been good money,” Kgomongwe affirmed when called and questioned about this a couple of weeks ago. However, Kgomongwe said the rightful person to talk to was their Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Patrons Secretary Musa Masuku. The latter minced no words about the setback.
“They could only declare just over E5 000, and that did not sit well with the MD since the manufacturers are also paid for the merchandise. It’s not good at all because that was revenue to help the team, and now there’s been no merchandise sold to supporters,” he said. Meanwhile, it was confirmed that the black and white striped replicas cost E400 each, essentially meaning 600 replicas would equate to E252 000.
Qualified
It was also learned from the supporters when Highlanders qualified for the CAF Confederation Cup last season where they played South Africa’s Royal AM, more replicas were brought in and the price cut to E300 but still, the figures did not add up. Kgomongwe had also pointed out that things went haywire after they lost one significant member who was hands on in this project.
“We lost our social media manager midway through the season and that haunted us because he would have known exactly what happened here. The supporters are not that much of the problem but yes, they also had a hand in our setback,” he said. Nonetheless, Kgomongwe said as much as this was disappointing, he was working on having new kits and merchandise available. There was no success in efforts to get the departed official for further clarity on the matter.
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