S. AFRICANS URGED TO STOP SIHLANGU COSAFA GAMES

MBABANE – Reactions on social media, Facebook show a lack of support for the senior national team Sihlangu Semnikati.

The team is dominated by the security forces teams in the country’s elite league. Regardless of the convincing COSAFA Cup 2021 3-1 win over Lesotho’s Likuena as their national team is nicknamed, Facebook was abuzz with a majority not praising the win but venting their anger on the fact that the squad was mainly made up of the three security forces teams’ players being Young Buffaloes (soldiers), Royal Leopard (police) and Green Mamba (warders or Correctional officers). A minority welcomed the win in the first match of this year’s COSAFA Cup. The gist of the matter was none other than the current political instability in the country that has resulted in the loss of life, looting and burning down of businesses amidst pro-democracy protests a round the country. The security forces have on social and international media, widely been fingered for the alleged killings of citizens since last week.

Disrupt

There was even a ploy to disrupt Sihlangu’s Confederation of Southern African Football Associations (COSAFA) Cup with an appeal to South Africans to not allow their games to play in Port Elizabeth. However, Sihlangu played and beat Lesotho on Tuesday afternoon and play hosts South Africa today. “Abakhoni nalukudlala kwekucala nje (They can’t even play)…they are useless like this government,” wrote one Facebooker with another following it up by posting ‘Ngatsi ningadliwa 8-0 (I wish you lose 8-0)’ before one that read ‘Lamaphoyisa nemasotja ngabe sinawo la (the police and soldiers should be here with us).

mixed

Some of the comments were unpalatable and cannot be repeated. one post called for Sihlangu to return home as ‘siyabulawa ngala (we are being killed)’ and they have gone to play football. However, some were positive and did not want football being mixed with the political situation and were grateful for the win. They even posted and congratulated Man of the Match award winner Fanelo ‘Order’ Mamba and history-making Felix Badenhorst, who became the tournament’s all-time top goalscorer with nine goals to Peter Ndlovu’s eight. EFA Marketing and Communications Officer Muzi Radebe said they were well and focussing on today’s match against South Africa’s Bafana Bafana. Sihlangu lead group A on better goal difference, while Bafana Bafana who won 1-0 against Botswana on Tuesday are second. Lesotho face Zambia today while Botswana rests. Meanwhile, Premier League of Eswatini (PLE) Chairman Mark Carmichael said they were not part of the politics but sport which to them was a unifier. He said Sihlangu won a match and as PLE and as a stakeholder of the EFA they were happy and positive that even this side, games would play.

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