MBABANE – In a rare incident in local sporting scenes, a number of Super League teams have fallen for a reported scam.
Super League is the highest division in the regions and it is country’s football third-tier. As per impeccable sources, a man in his 20s was arrested at Eqinisweni Sports Ground last Sunday in connection to money theft. It is said he was apprehended but has since escaped custody and currently on the run.
“Some teams indeed forked out money estimated at about E1 000 to join the said tournament. However, the alleged host then disappeared. It is said one person saw him with building equipment of over E30 000,” the source said.
It is said he was moving around the four football regions (Hhohho, Lubombo, Shiselweni and Manzini) with a proposal to host a tournament for them. He is said to have required four teams per region.
The champions of this alleged tournament were expected to earn over E10 000. Meanwhile, the teams forked out a joining fee of about E1 000 each as per allegations. The team suspected foul play after this man disappeared when it was time to host their matches.
The Chief Police Information and Communications Officer (PICO) Senior Superintendent Phindile Zwane said a suspect with regards to this incident is yet to be apprehended.
“The police are actively working on such a case. A suspect is yet to be arrested pending investigations,” she said. Nationally, the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) has apprehended over 200 ‘facata’ scams suspects dating back to 2024 with arrests made nearly daily as per local news reports.
This kind of scam is a new method of soliciting funds in local football. In May 2026, the Premier League of Eswatini (PLE) cracked the whip on gate fraud, moving to purge illicit activities that have plagued match-day operations throughout the 2025/26 season.
Following an extraordinary general meeting at Sigwaca House, the league resolved to part ways with several part-time employees implicated in a systematic ticket scandal. According to PLE Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Pat ‘Kungumusa’ Vilakati after the meeting, the organisation had engaged the police and arrests have already been made following findings that part-time staff members were allegedly recycling wristbands to bypass official gate systems.
The vulnerability of gate entry systems is not unique to Eswatini, as South Africa’s Premier Soccer League (PSL) has historically faced similar battles with syndicate operations involving match-day officials. In high-profile cases across the border, the PSL has previously had to crack down on stadium security staff and official ticket providers who colluded to replicate valid barcodes, sell duplicate tickets or open stadium gates for cash bribes during massive fixtures like the Soweto Derby. South African authorities have routinely used internal stings and police interventions to flush out corrupt officials who systematically bled millions away from top-flight clubs.
