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‘BULL’S LUVHENGO HIGHEST PAID COACH IN ESWATINI

29/01/2023 15:45:00 Mengameli Mabuza

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MBABANE – Highly regarded South African coach Solly Muvhango is set to strike it rich at Mbabane Highlanders if he succeeds in his task of leading the team to success.

It has been revealed by an impeccable source that the new mentor is set to earn up to E22 000 monthly for the rest of the season as the black and white ensemble head coach. The monthly salary makes him the highest paid coach in the country after Mbabane Swallows’ new Head Coach Caleb Ngwenya. The latter is reportedly at E20 000 monthly. Interestingly, Luvhengo signed a head coach contract with Highlanders but the Eswatini Football Coaches Association (EFCA) approved him only as an assistant coach. This effectively means he can only appear on the bench and team list as assistant coach while his assistant Dumsani ‘DU’ Makhanya who has the required CAF Licence A in the country, is set to appear as head coach.

The SA mentor was unveiled last weekend, Saturday to be precise, at Mavuso Sports Centre ahead of the Highlanders and Buffaloes clash on the day, which ended goalless. Luvhengo will not end with the sumptuous monthly salary but also winning match bonuses reaching a maximum E1 000 depending in the rival he wins against. For the opponents they compete with at the top, especially in the top four, he will earn E1 000 for a win, the source told this publication. “If we beat teams like Tambuti, Seven Dreams or those not in competition, then a win will be E500 for the coach,” the source claimed.

Bonuses

It could not be established what his share was for winning a title but at Swallows, sources alleged, Ngwenya did not have match bonuses but entitled to 10 per cent of the prize money if they win any tournament. Eswatini currently has only the MTN Premier League running now with the only knockout played being the inaugural MoMo Cup last November. Worthy of mention is that Luvhengo, who was once in the FIFA World Cup Under-17 tournament in Trinidad and Tobago in 2010 with Amajita, possesses a FIFA High Level course certificate attained in 2011, SAFA PRO-Licence Level 3 attained in 2012 and the CAF B Licence. He has been tasked with making sure that Highlanders compete for the MTN Premier League title, a trophy they last won in 2001, which was then called the Castle Lager League.

The former Black Leopards coach will have his first match in charge tomorrow against struggling defending champions Royal Leopard at Mavuso Sports Centre at 4pm. There was no immediate comment from Luvhengo. Efforts to get Highlanders Managing Director (MD) Chief Ally Kgomongwe hit a snag as his phone rang without a response. Meanwhile, previously, the highest paid coach was Swallows’ mentor Christopher Ennin, who was also at E20 000 a month and he was closely followed by Ngwenya, while at Green Mamba, at around E12 000. Manzini Wanderers former coach Nyanga ‘Crooks’ Hlophe was third on E10 000. The highest paid coach in SA is Kaizer Chiefs’ Arthur Zwane, who is reportedly on a three-year contract at the club with a monthly salary of E800 000, second and third to him are Mamelodi Sundowns’ joint coaches Manqoba Mngqithi (E750 000) and Rulani Mokwena (E650 000) respectively.