MBABANE – Following their 2–0 PLE Charity Cup play-off win over Mbabane Swallows, Shauwn ‘MaMkhize’ Mkhize urged Mbabane Highlanders AM to keep fighting for the badge.
The Highlanders AM owner was delighted with her team’s performance at Mavuso Sports Centre on Sunday, where they secured a place in the semi-finals of the Premier League of Eswatini (PLE) tournament at the expense of their bitter rivals.
Mkhize admitted that derby encounters were never easy, revealing that the opening 10 minutes had been particularly demanding before her players settled into the contest.
“Derby games are very difficult. The mandate is clear: Go there and fight for the badge. The first 10 minutes were hectic, and I am glad my boys won it,” she said.
She also thanked the supporters for standing behind the team, while emphasising the importance of winning against their city rivals.
“My boys cannot afford to lose to Swallows. When they fight, they fight for the badge,” she said.
Mkhize further insisted that the team would not give up on its ambitions, warning that football remained unpredictable and that Highlanders AM were prepared to battle until the final whistle.
“Anything is possible in the game of football, and what I can assure you is that we are going to fight until the end,” she said.
The victory saw Highlanders AM book their place in the Charity Cup semi-finals, keeping alive their hopes of lifting the competition’s coveted trophy.
In July 2025, ‘MaMkhize’ was officially unveiled as the President of the ‘Black Bull’, as Highlanders are fondly known. Rather than an outright permanent buyout of the club, the arrangement involved a multi-year management contract/partnership with the club’s leadership structure to run and administer the team. Following her arrival, she introduced her trademark ‘AM’ (representing her son, Andile Mpisane) to the club’s identity, temporarily modifying elements of branding and incorporating gold into the traditional black-and-white club colours to mirror her previous Royal AM enterprise.
