AFTER SHOCK RESIGNATION FROM SWALLOWS: KWAKHE MAKES U-TURN

MBABANE – Drama.

There is a sudden and dramatic twist of events regarding Mbabane Swallows and Sihlangu interim Captain Kwakhe ‘Stopper’ Thwala.  This follows his reported resignation and subsequent reversal of the decision within 24 hours.  This U-turn allows him to shift his attention to leading his team in the imminent Hollywoodbets COSAFA Cup, set to kick off tomorrow in Gqeberha, South Africa. The Sifiso ‘Nuro’ Ntibane-led youthful side lock horns with the Zebras, as Botswana are popularly known, tomorrow, in this competition’s opening match, at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa.

Thwala, who joined the club in February 2023, after the Eswatini Football Association (EFA) Player’s Status Committee (PSC) ruled in his favour in a dispute with his former club, reportedly resigned over the weekend, just after the senior national team’s farewell function held at the EFA Technical Centre on Saturday. “Thwala’s resignation stirred a lot of buzz in the media, and he reportedly felt overwhelmed by the attention. This led him to reconsider his decision and focus on leading Sihlangu in the upcoming COSAFA Cup, where he hopes to guide the team to better results. However, his resignation remains a reality, and the future of his involvement with Mbabane Swallows after the tournament remains uncertain,” the source said.

A further investigation by the publication into Thwala’s resignation revealed that one of the reasons cited in the alleged resignation letter was the player’s allegation of frequent late payments of salary, which he claimed had negatively impacted his personal finances. Additionally, reports suggest the player who is linked with a return to Buffaloes is yet to receive his agreed-upon signing-on fee, which has contributed to his overall dissatisfaction with the team.

Resignation

The publication reached out to Kwakhe Thwala, who declined to discuss the details of his resignation. However, he made no mention of remaining a player for Mbabane Swallows, which only added to the ambiguity surrounding his status with the team. “I’m a player for Mbabane Swallows, and my current focus is to perform well for the nation in the COSAFA Cup, which starts tomorrow. Other matters are not important at this time, and I want to concentrate on the task at hand,” he said Swallows’ Governor Sandile ‘beyond 2000’ Zwane, refuted the circulating claims that Thwala had resigned, assuring the club’s supporters that the player remains an integral part of their team. Zwane emphasised that Thwala is a key player for Mbabane Swallows and dismissed the rumours of his departure as baseless.

“Kwakhe is one of our key players, and I can assure our supporters that we have not received a resignation letter from him. There is no need for panic among the Swallows faithful,” he said. In an effort to delve deeper into the possible reasons for Thwala’s resignation and explore the scenario of the player potentially seeking an exit from the team, the publication discovered, based on a copy of the player’s contract in its possession, that in the event of Thwala seeking to join another club during the term of his contract, Mbabane Swallows stipulates a buy-out fee of E100 000, which the club considers as the player’s market value.

Value

“The club may increase the market value of the player if it believes same has increased,” reads part of the contract. Thwala is a product of Buffaloes development together with elite players in former Highlanders Lindani ‘Rio’ Matsenjwa, Nsingizini Hotspurs’ Meshack Lushaba and Young Buffaloes’ Sphesihle Nsimbini, among others.Notably, the Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) updated its transfer rules. The FIFA transfer rules now allow the unilateral termination of the contract by the player, but only in certain conditions. Under Article 14 of the rules, a contract may be terminated by either party without consequences of any kind (either payment of compensation or imposition of sporting sanctions) where there is ‘just cause’. Just cause is not defined but would cover, for example, where a player has not been paid for months.

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