Times Of Swaziland: NO SALARY CUT FOR MAKHANYA

NO SALARY CUT FOR MAKHANYA
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BY SABELO NDZINISA on 23/05/2020 22:16:00


MBABANE – Eswatini-born seasoned football administrator Kenneth Makhanya can
be forgiven for wearing a smile that would easily win him a Colgate competition
in these tough COVID-19 times.
Makhanya, who is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at South African soccer
giants Mamelodi Sundowns, will rest easy knowing that contrary to the tough
financial challenges faced by some professional clubs globally, he will not be
experiencing salary cuts at the Pretoria based side.
This is despite the paralysing economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, that
has forced some professional clubs around the world to scale-down players’
salaries.
Absa Premiership sides Amazulu FC, Highlands Park and Cape Town City have
already come out to confirm facing challenges in paying their players’ full
salaries since football activities were suspended due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
financial situations
While these clubs are running from pillar to post trying to manage their
financial situations, it is a happy scenario for Makhanya and his Sundowns
colleagues, as they will be collecting their full pay cheques at the end of the
month.
This follows an assurance from Sundowns’ billionaire boss Patrice Motsepe that
his entire team, including players, will get their salaries despite the
financial challenges facing some teams due to the coronavirus pandemic.
A number of clubs in Europe including Barcelona, Real Madrid and Juventus have
confirmed that players have agreed to take pay-cuts while football remains
suspended.
However, according to a report carried in the kickoff.com website, the
super-rich boss insisted that his players and all the staff at Chloorkop
including Makhanya will continue getting their salaries.
“It’s important (to pay the salaries),” Motsepe said during Thursday’s
press conference in Johannesburg.
“We will continue paying salaries whether there is football or no football. We
will continue to pay everybody who works for us their salaries, as if there was
no coronavirus. “It’s an obligation. We have to do that.”
Motsepe has handed coach Pitso Mosimane a four-year contract extension at
Sundowns that could see him become the highest-paid coach in South Africa, with
an unconfirmed E1 million monthly salary being bandied around by the country’s
media.
This has been a happy week for Makhanya at Sundowns as he was recently praised
by Motsepe for doing an excellent job at the club along with other management
officials.