NHLANGANO – Former Mbabane Highlanders Captain and football legend Xolani ‘Chocco’ Sibandze has sounded the alarm over the state of Mbabane Swallows.
The legend is urging corporate Eswatini and football stakeholders to intervene before one of the country’s traditional giants loses its competitive standing.
Sibandze made the passionate appeal while reflecting on the state of the country’s traditional ‘Big Three’ during the ‘Donate a Pair’ Legends Cup at King Sobhuza II Memorial Stadium this past Sunday.
The former Highlanders skipper was speaking after helping KaShali Masters lift the Legends Cup following a 3-1 victory over Mbabane Golden Booters. Sibandze was also named Player of the Tournament and received a pair of sneakers and E500 for his individual performance. But while celebrating his team’s success, Sibandze’s attention quickly turned to the condition of the capital city giants, particularly Mbabane Swallows.
“I am not aware of how Wanderers and Highlanders are doing. I heard Highlanders were away in camp in South Africa, while Wanderers might return to the Premier League after reportedly securing the status of another team,” Sibandze said.
“What concerns me most is Mbabane Swallows. The team is slowly dying a natural death and we cannot just watch this happen. They are one of the Big Three.”
His comments come at a time when the ‘Beautiful Birds’ are battling to keep their squad together.
Swallows have already lost several important players, with the latest player crisis adding to concerns about the club’s financial muscle.
The club recently lost goalkeeper Bongiswa ‘Romario’ Dlamini to rivals Mbabane Highlanders, while experienced midfielder Nhlanhla Ngwenya joined Confederation of African Football (CAF)-bound Green Mamba.
Former Sihlangu star Sizolwethu ‘Nunu’ Shabalala has also left after his contract expired, with the veteran subsequently linked with Manzini Sea Birds. Striker Njongo ‘Jakalazi’ Mazibuko has also been cleared by the EFA Players’ Status Committee to leave as a free agent and is set to join Nsingizini Hotspurs.
That means at least four significant first-team departures or exits have recently hit the club, with the movement of players coming after another damaging period during which Swallows struggled to retain members of the squad that won the league title in 2023/24.
The exodus is not entirely new.
During the 2024/25 campaign, Swallows lost several members of their championship-winning side, including Kwakhe Thwala, Neliswa ‘Tiger’ Dlamini and Ayanda ‘Gandaganda’ Gadlela, who moved to Nsingizini Hotspurs. The trio subsequently played a major role in helping the Shiselweni side win their first Premier League title.
For Sibandze, this is evidence of a worrying shift in the local football landscape.
“It is painful to see Swallows losing coaches and key players to other teams. Back in our time, every player wanted to play for Swallows or Highlanders. Now it is the other way around,” he said.
“Let us not sit and watch our neighbour team die. Companies and stakeholders need to come on board and support the team financially.”
The concern is amplified by Swallows’ extraordinary history.
Founded in 1948, Mbabane Swallows are one of Eswatini’s most decorated football clubs, with eight Premier League titles to their name. Their league championships include the 2016/17 and 2017/18 back-to-back titles, followed by their most recent championship in the 2023/24 season.
The club’s golden period under the late Victor ‘Maradona’ Gamedze remains particularly memorable.
Swallows won the Ingwenyama Cup three consecutive times between 2016 and 2018 and also established themselves as a force in continental football.
The club’s dominance was not only about trophies. Swallows became a destination for some of the country’s best players and regularly supplied talent to Sihlangu. In 2018, seven Swallows players were part of Eswatini’s COSAFA Cup squad.
That era, Sibandze believes, created an expectation that Swallows should always be competing for honours rather than fighting to retain players.
The club showed that it could still reach the summit when it won the Premier League title in the 2023/24 season.
Swallows finished top of the table and returned to the championship throne after several seasons without the league crown.
But the title-winning squad was subsequently dismantled.
The player drain has continued into the current period, with Swallows now having to rebuild while also dealing with uncertainty off the pitch.
The instability has not been restricted to the playing personnel.
Swallows have also experienced changes within the technical team, including the departure of Head Coach Caleb Ngwenya and physical trainer Siza ‘King Pele’ Dlamini.
The current coaching panel of Sindiso Gama and Mduduzi ‘Sikhali’ Nxumalo has acknowledged that footballers will always come and go, while indicating that the club is entering a rebuilding phase.
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