MBABANE – A new development in the Mbabane Swallows saga unfolded yesterday as Mbabane Swallows (Pty) Ltd refuted claims that Mbabane Swallows FC was operating independently.
The statement came during a supporters’ meeting at St Mark’s High School Hall in Mbabane, where, wife of the late ‘Birds’ Director Victor Gamedze, Princess Lungile, officially handed ownership rights of the club back to the fans.
This follows a long-standing standoff over club ownership with the current leadership, Mbabane Swallows FC, who say they are running the club as a supporters’ association. An association structure was said to be the club’s original arrangement when it was established 77 years ago.
Princess Lungile gave the team to the supporters yesterday as the club’s owners after her husband registered it as a company in 2016, having taken the helm around 2004.
Slightly over 200 fans attended the event, where the team’s trophies were displayed. There were eight won by the senior team and a single trophy by the Under-20s. Notably, few of the supporters wore the current team’s replicas, but many paraded the ‘Muyekeleni aphumule’ T-shirts, and new branded T-shirts that are expected to go on sale tomorrow.
Although maintaining the original colours of ‘Umkhonto KaShaka’, blue, red and white, as well as the logo, they advocate for unity as they are printed ‘Simunye (We are one).’
‘Birds’ legend Wilfred ‘Maria Maria’ Fakudze told attendees that reports of Mbabane Swallows (Pty) Ltd and Mbabane Swallows FC being separate entities are misleading.
“The company is Mbabane Swallows FC (Pty) Ltd,” he explained, showing the fans a document bearing the team’s name.
Fakudze added that, according to his knowledge of company registration laws, a company name supersedes the name of an association. He also stated that, based on their research, there is no voluntary association registered as Mbabane Swallows FC.
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