MBABANE HIGH-EARNERS!

MBABANE – Fourteen Mbabane Highlanders players were spotting Colgate smiles on their way back to Eswatini last night.

This follows the club’s Managing Director, Chief Ally Kgomongwe, defying the country’s inflation rate with an increment of 20 per cent to the salaries of the new contracts signed by the players. The country’s inflation rate stands at 4.5 per cent, but the South African businessman, who took over at the country’s most successful side on May 20, 2019, not only tied the 14 players to new contracts but offered them an increment of 20 per cent. This offer is four times more than the country’s inflation rate.
Highlanders returned home last night after spending five days in a mini-camp in Pretoria, South Africa, where they also played an international friendly against Ally’s Tigers. Ally’s Tigers is a team also owned by Kgomongwe, which campaigns in the ABC Motsepe League, a third tier division in South Africa.

An informed source confided to the Times Sports Desk that after serious discussions with the players who were out of contract, an agreement was reached. “The players raised a lot of issues they were unhappy about, including that some of them were brought to Highlanders from Matsapha United and their welfare was not taken care of. They even made it clear that they were not prepared to sign for Highlanders if there is no guarantee Ally would be around,” the source said.

Clause

The source added: “After Ally engaged the players, the situation was calm but they still wanted a clause in the new contracts that if he leaves they should be allowed to leave as well. The good thing is that he assured them he is staying with the club,”
Reached for comment last night, Kgomongwe first wondered how this newspaper got hold of the confidential information but then confirmed all was true. “Yes, I have given the players 20 per cent increment on the new contracts we have signed. That is for the 14 players who were out of contract and of course, we are looking at the issue of the others as well. We want to create a happy and conducive environment for the players to perform to their optimum best in the new season,” Kgomongwe said. He stated that he will be bringing four new foreign players to bolster the squad for the new 2021/2022 season.

“We have identified some players from Ally’s Tigers and other teams here in South Africa. We want to bring in quality because we want to compete for the league in the new season. Once we have finalised the list of the players we will announce them,” he added. Some of the players whose contracts have since been renewed are namely; Sabelo ‘Sawa’ Gamedze, Simphiwe ‘Cheese’ Manana, Peter Dlamini, Phila Mamba, Ntokozo Shabangu, Kenneth Moloto, Siphosethu ‘Mjovo’ Mlotsa, Philani Mkhontfo, Ndumiso Ndaba, Vusimuzi Vilakati, Banele Ndzabandzaba, Ndumuso Mabuza, Mlamuli ‘Mlaba’ Nkambule. One of the players, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed they had been offered a 20 per cent increment. “We are happy that at least we were able to raise the issues that affect us as players directly to the director and also the offer of the increment is good, especially during such tough economic times,” the player said.

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