MBABANE – MTN Premier League giants Mbabane Swallows have appealed to fans for donations of at least E50 as financial pressures threaten the club’s progress.
The call was made by the club’s Public Relations Officer (PRO) Knowledge ‘Bhambo’ Ngwenya during a sports show on national radio yesterday morning, where he urged supporters to rally behind the team and help sustain its operations.
Ngwenya said supporters had an opportunity to contribute towards keeping the famous red and white outfit afloat, encouraging them to donate E50, E100 or any amount they could afford.
“Come in numbers to support the team in Pigg’s Peak tomorrow. The team is there and they are eager to win games. This is your chance to see your team. For those of our fans in Pigg’s Peak and surroundings, we have a youthful side which is working hard every day to do better for the team,” Ngwenya said.
He thanked the club’s management for its efforts to keep the team running despite the financial challenges and appealed for supporters to play their part in sustaining the institution. “Thanks to management for the ways to keep the fires burning,” he said.
Supporters wishing to contribute have been directed to Luyandza Mvumbu from the club’s marketing department.
The appeal comes at a difficult period for a club whose illustrious history has made it one of the biggest names in Eswatini football.
Founded in 1948, Swallows have won eight Premier League titles, with their latest championship coming in the 2023/24 season. They also won the Ingwenyama Cup three consecutive times between 2016 and 2018, establishing themselves as a dominant force in domestic football.
Under the late Victor ‘Maradona’ Gamedze, the club enjoyed a particularly successful era, attracting top players and building a reputation as a destination for footballers who wanted to compete for major honours.
Their ambitions extended beyond the country’s borders. In 2018, Swallows became the first Eswatini club to reach the CAF Champions League group stage, a milestone that placed the club on the continental football map.
However, the club’s fortunes have changed in recent seasons, with financial constraints making it increasingly difficult to retain some of its best players. Ngwenya previously acknowledged that the club had been forced to release players it would have preferred to keep because it could not meet their financial demands.
The departures have weakened the squad and increased the pressure on the club to rebuild while attempting to remain competitive in the Premier League.
Meanwhile, Umkhonto KaShaka National Supporters Committee (NSC) Chairman Mboni Dludlu said supporters should have a role in helping the team financially or otherwise.
“We are planning to call a supporters meeting to discuss ways on how we can help the team and the challenges it is currently facing so that we can make a way forward,” Dludlu said.
When quizzed why they are not contributing towards the financial struggle of the team, Dludlu explained that supporters are helping run the team, however not in a formal way. He said the proposed meeting will come up with plans on how to contribute formally.
Such backing mirrors challenges faced across the border in South African football, where historic giants Moroka Swallows faced severe financial distress that pushed the club to the brink.
Long before their status was ultimately sold, the club attempted innovative crowd funding models where fans and members of the public could buy shares, sometimes for as little as E350, in an effort to keep the team afloat and make it the first supporter-owned professional club in that country.
More recently, when crippling financial crises, unpaid player salaries and fixture scrambles hit the ‘Dube Birds’, loyal supporters publicly banded together, launching emotional public pleas, organising committees and calling on high-profile figures and local businesses to step in and rescue the institution from total collapse.
