Businesswoman Shauwn Mkhize is the first to admit that she came through the back door in the football space when she bought Bloemfontein Celtic in 2021.
Mkhize renamed the club Royal Andile Mpisane, shortened to Royal AM, but they have been expelled by the Premier Soccer League for failing to fulfill its obligations to the league.
“Yes, it’s no more. I think a lot has happened,” she reflected.
“You know, sometimes they say what goes around comes around. I think the way I entered into the league, I didn’t enter (through) the front door. I was not supposed to enter. I think I broke the wall instead of entering through the front door, and that’s why now, for the first time ever, you are hearing that a club has been expelled from the PSL. Yes, I love setting the trends, but honestly, this one was painful,” she continued.
“I wish it was done differently, but it’s what it is. I know I’m a trendsetter, but do I really need to be setting trends by being the first club to be expelled? No.”
Mkhize says losing Royal AM is “painful,” and she had to sleep with a “broken heart” in the past when the team was in the hands of a curator appointed by the South African Revenue Service (SARS).
Mkhize has had run-ins with SARS for years, but she is adamant Royal AM could have been saved rather than “destroyed” as SARS looked to recover R40 million from her family trust.
She contends that the club was worth more than R40 million and could have been sold to recover the money if indeed that is what she really owes SARS, but in the end, this failed to materialize despite reported interest when the club was auctioned a few months ago. This is especially heartbreaking for her.
“I think as much as I love Royal AM, I said it’s okay. It is what it is… I’ve made peace with it,” said Mkhize while speaking to Metro FM.
“I think I don’t want to talk about it (how much money she lost), but I’ve lost my soul. I think my soul and my heart were invested in that brand. Money, put it aside. We work, we make money every day, but I’ve lost my soul,” she reiterated.
“I think that was my baby… there were people that were employed; there were people that were dependent on Royal AM. There were families that were dependent on Royal AM, and what hurts me is not the money; it’s about the families that I believe were affected by something that could’ve been controlled. It’s what it is, and we are here now.”
The demise of Royal AM has resulted in the Msunduzi Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal cancelling its R27 million sponsorship of the club, while a fleet of vehicles, including Royal AM’s team bus, reportedly fetched R8.2 million at a recent auction.
Despite court battles, Royal AM couldn’t be saved and Mkhize has since invested in another club, Mbabane Highlanders of Eswatini.
