‘I CAN’T DISCUSS PRESIDENT’S PERSONAL BUYS’

MBABANE – Mbabane Swallows is now distancing itself from claims made by President Archbishop Bheki Lukhele that he submitted a bid of E350 000 for their auctioned sprinter bus.

Last Friday morning, speaking on national radio, the Eswatini Broadcasting and information Services’ (EBIS) Sports Show, the man of the cloth claimed that he had submitted a sealed bid of E350 000 after Roxy Investment auctioneers were assigned by EswatiniBank to auction the bus to cover arrears of E300 000.

Lukhele was quoted saying that when he learned that the bus was on auction, as Bheki Lukhele, he made attempts to purchase it to be owned by him personally at the auction. He said what happened was that they would put their bid offers in an envelope during the bidding process and the highest bidder would be declared the winner. 

“I offered E350 000 and it happened that someone offered more than me as he put forth E355 000 for the bid,” he said on public radio.

These claims were on Saturday disputed by Sheriff, auctioneer Melusi Qwabe. He said the Swallows president did not make any bid and was surprised to learn of the claims made by Lukhele.

auction

When drawn for clarity on the matter, Swallows’ Communications and Marketing Manager Mancoba Mabuza said he did not have a mandate to discuss Lukhele’s personal auction purchases.

“Now, I don’t have a mandate to speak about what the president buys in an auction, especially when he does so in his personal capacity for use outside of Mbabane Swallows. You can ask him about it,” he said.

The ‘Beautiful Birds’ mouthpiece referred to the president’s words; ‘Mine ngingu Bheki Lukhele ngititsengela nje mine’.

The reference Mabuza highlighted was proof that Lukhele was buying the property at the auction as a personal asset. 

The team’s Mercedes Bendz sprinter bus that was eventually purchased by Mbabane Highlanders boss Chief Ally Kgomongwe on Tuesday as the highest bidder and offered E355 000.

“Lukhele never bid for the bus, he never offered any money. What happened is that the team submitted a letter through their official Andreas Lukhele requesting that they should be given the bus and would pay the amount we required in 24 hours,” said Qwabe.

The auctioneer said Highlanders’ boss, Kgomongwe, was the highest bidder, a man he identified as Ncongwane was the second highest bidder with E352 000 and another he identified as Kunene was the third highest bidder with E350 000. 

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