Royal AM's Shauwn “MaMkhize” Mkhize reveals players' salaries in last stand against PSL

Royal AM boss Shauwn “MaMkhize” Mkhize has revealed her players salaries to prove that they did indeed receive their salaries despite the club going into administration which led to their expulsion from the Premier Soccer League (PSL).

The South African Revenue Service (SARS) seized control of a number of owner Mkhize’s assets in November, including the football club, allegedly due to the businesswoman owing the tax collector around R40 million.

In January, Royal AM’s players went on strike and didn’t return from the festive break after the non-payment of December salaries. Their match against Chippa United on January 11 was postponed. And the club was then provisionally suspended and their fixtures postponed.

Mkhize and the club then released a statement surrounding the matter of Sars and the unpaid December salaries, saying: “We acknowledge the hardship this has caused and extend our heartfelt apologies to those impacted, including their families.

“The club’s management team, led by our CEO and General Manager, has been working diligently with the curator to secure the necessary permissions to release funds for salary payments. It has always been the ethos of Royal AM to prioritise the wellbeing of our personnel, and we remain dedicated to upholding that principle despite the current challenges.”

The non-payment of salaries and financial sustainability of the club were some of the arguments used by the PSL when they eventually expelled the club after the SARS curator failed to find a buyer for the club

However, according to the Sunday World, Mkhize has applied for an urgent court order in the Joburg High Court to declare the expulsion unlawful.

With it, the businesswoman attached proof of payment of the salaries, which apparently came out of her own pocket after the team’s R2.3 million PSL grant was stopped. She also alleges that SARS destabilised the day-to-day running of the team.

The report provides proof of payments with the word “salary” reflecting as a reference on each and every transaction, which gives the amount of money the players were earning at the club.

All these players were paid on February 14 this year and Mkhize asked the court to hear the case on May 20, just before the league season comes to an end.

According to the papers, Veteran defender Thabo Matlaba was Royal AM’s highest-paid player, taking home R121,000. A player known as Mnguni S was the lowest paid with a net pay of a paltry R2,000. In terms of the law, as of March 1, 2024, the minimum wage in South Africa is R27.58 per hour, or R4,779.38 per month for a 40-hour work week.

Midfielder Kabelo Mahlasela was Royal AM’s second-highest-paid player, with a net pay of R93,500, followed by midfielder Shadrack Kobedi, with a take-home of R80,000 per month. Jabulani Ncobeni, was the fourth-highest paid, with a net pay of over R68,000.

Besides Mnguni S, some of the club’s lowest paid players include goalkeeper Aphile Ngobese with R7,916, Sbanga Zulu with R6,900, and midfielder Smiso Gumede R4,950.

@JohnGoliath82