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ALLY TO STEP DOWN!

23/03/2021 16:35:00 Lwazi Dlamini

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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.