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’DOWNS ADD OVER 28 000 VOTES, GATECRASH TOP 6!

26/07/2014 10:18:00 BY ASHMOND NZIMA

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MBABANE – The fight for the top six in the Swazi Telecom Charity Cup voting exercise is going down to the wire; literally.

Former champions, Manzini Sundowns, added 28 062 votes to jump to the fifth spot, displacing giants Mbabane Swallows and Mbabane Highlanders.
The latter are out of the top six and face elimination for the first time since the start of the voting exercise. Sundowns, who were 12th in the previous edition with 1 381 votes were at 29 44.
Highlanders, on the other hand, had 14 492 votes, according to standings confirmed by Swaziland Posts and Telecommunications Corporation (SPTC) by the close of business yesterday.

Sundowns PRO Muzi Matsenjwa, assured that the side would make the cut as there was an unnamed sponsor who pledged to pump in as my votes as possible in order to qualify for the six-team tournament with the Under-20 side.
“The sponsor has an unlimited budget and wants us to qualify by all means. More upsets are on the cards as we’re aiming for the top,” Matsenjwa said.

“However, our supporters should continue supporting the noble initiative and bring voting cards during our friendly game against Green Mamba at Manzini club tomorrow (today) at 1pm. Voting cards can also be deposited at the Brand Store in Manzini.”

Sundowns did not qualify last year after winning the previous two editions.
Meanwhile, Highlanders PRO, Sifiso Magagula, said he believed the supporters could still do better, saying they would not throw in the towel. “We can’t give up. We need to qualify by all means. Our supporters must put more effort,” he said.

Charity Cup PRO, Dumisani Sibandze, reminded the teams that no outfit had a permanent position, saying any of the 24 could still qualify. “Supporters have to push even harder to guarantee their respective teams’ safety,” Sibandze said.
Voting lines close tomorrow at midnight. Total votes were at 639 429 by yesterday. The target is one million votes. Green Mamba had maintained their lead with 237 334 votes. Teams that make the top four qualify with their Under-20s.