Times Of Swaziland: ALLY TO STEP DOWN!

ALLY TO STEP DOWN!
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Lwazi Dlamini on 23/03/2021 16:35:00


MBABANE – Bombshell! Two years after signing a five-year contract to run
Mbabane Highlanders, South African businessman Ally Kgomongwe is set to step
down as early as next week.
The Times Sports Desk has reliably gathered that the flamboyant chairman, who
ended Highlanders nine-year-wait for a trophy by clinching the EswatiniTelecom
Charity Cup on August 5, 2019, has already informed the club’s patrons of his
intentions to step down mainly due to business commitments in his home country.
“Ally has been made chief of the royal family in North-West and they have just
clinched a new mining deal worth millions where he needs to be hands-on.
Concentrate
“The queen mother of the royal family has asked him to concentrate on the
project,’ an informed source close to the matter said. The source further
stated that the ighlanders boss, who signed the five-year contract in May 2019,
is exploring options of buying a status of the National First Division side or
Premier Soccer League (PSL) to be based in North-West.
“After a consortium bought the status of Platinum Stars for E22.5 million from
the Royal Bafokeng Holdings and moved it to Cape Town. The family wants to get
another team to be based in North-West. Ally is working on that deal too.
Difficult
“So it is becoming increasingly difficult for him to concentrate on
Highlanders and also his business dealings in SA,” the source added. Kgomongwe
is expected to be in the country this weekend to officially discuss his stepping
down with the Highlanders patrons. Reached for comment, an evasive Kgomongwe
first wondered how this newspaper got hold of the information and politely
confirmed he will be stepping down. “Yes, I will be stepping down. I am  under
pressure from the royal family and business commitments. I am branching into
mining and my schedule is very tight. “But I am going to be meeting the
Highlanders patrons to discuss this issue further.
Planning
“I am planning to come to Eswatini on Friday then we can issue a press
statement after our discussions my brother,” Kgomongwe said. Kgomongwe took
over Highlanders from the Zweli Jele-led management team which had watched in
horror the ‘Black Bull’ being skinned alive by a ruthless Young Buffaloes
4-1 in the Ingwenyama Cup final in April 2019. He took over in May 2019 and won
the EswatiniTelecom Charity Cup in August before losing the Ingwenyama Cup 2-0
to Green Mamba on March 8, 2020.