Times Of Swaziland: ‘WESLIANS’ E100 000  SOS TO PLE!

‘WESLIANS’ E100 000  SOS TO PLE!
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BY CHRIS DLAMINI on 12/10/2018 06:38:00


MBABANE – Just a day after the #SIPHILA LA Eswatini Mobile sponsored teams’
new slogan was publicised, it is already playing itself out.
Loosely translated, the slogan launched on Wednesday night at City Court Guest
House means ‘Our survival is here’. It is no secret that Eswatini Mobile
sponsors the country’s elite league giant clubs, being Mbabane Highlanders,
Mbabane Swallows and Manzini Wanderers, plus First Division’s Tinyosi and
Madlenya.
Each of the giant clubs get E80 000 monthly, mostly directed towards players’
salaries at Highlanders and Wanderers, in particular. However, it is also an
open secret that these teams struggle when there is any delay in the release of
the cash by the sponsor – it has already been reported twice that Wanderers
had challenges paying players’ salaries on time.
Once again, the hub giants have challenges for last month’s expenses, not
specified though, and investigations by this author proved that they have gone
to the extent of seeking a loan amounting to E100 000 from the Premier League of
Eswatini. Impeccable sources said this was the second loan since August, as they
were lent the same amount just before the Eswatini Charity Cup.
“That was settled though. Now they have decided to seek another loan because
of financial challenges they are having as a team, but I don’t know how the
PLE will treat it when it gets to them, especially as clubs we were made to
understand the loan scheme was stopped,” said one impeccable source in one of
the elite league clubs, whose team also enquired about getting a loan this week.
On top of the loan application, it was established that the maroon and white hub
side are the leading team in terms of gate collections since the start of the
MTN League, which has now played up to its fourth round of matches. Wanderers
are said to have raked in E93 000 in the first two matches and over E100 000
after the four league games they have played in the MTN League.
The money has been their share from the presale tickets in games they have been
the host team, which includes the grand opening games that comprised the big
derby between Highlanders and Swallows.
They also recently received E80 000 from the E100 000 MTN League participation
fee, while they are one of the highest owing clubs in the PLE books in terms of
fines and loans. At one point last season, it was reported that they owed over
E400 000 and then towards the end, it was down to slightly more than E300 000.
According to further investigations, Wanderers have cited a delay by their
sponsor, Eswatini Mobile, in releasing their E80 000 monthly subvention and want
to use the money to cater for last month’s expenses. This is albeit some of
the club’s players alleging early this week that they had not been paid their
last month’s salaries, which would not be a first in recent times, as reported
by this newspaper already in the last two months.