• Royal AM hopes chairman Andile Mpisane can save the club from Sars since he isn’t part of the R40-million tax investigation.

• Club staff and players haven’t been paid their December salaries as all bank accounts are frozen.

Football club Royal AM is trying to use chairman Andile Mpisane to save itself from a R40-million tax problem that has frozen its bank accounts.

The KwaZulu-Natal club hopes to dodge the South African Revenue Service (Sars) by claiming that Andile, who isn’t being investigated for tax issues, is really in charge—not his mother Shauwn “MaMkhize” Mkhize.

As well as being club chairman, Andile is also a player in the club, and he regularly gets featured in the starting lineup or as a substitute. The “AM” in the club’s name is his name and surname.

“Andile’s not in any trouble with Sars, so the club should be left alone,” an insider told The Sowetan.

The club is desperate to get its monthly R2.5-million Premier Soccer League (PSL) grant to pay staff who didn’t get their December salaries. MaMkhize said a man named Jaco Venter is now watching over the club’s money.

The South African Football Players Union (Safpu) denied reports that players were on strike.

“The club told players to stay home after the December break until this mess is sorted,” Safpu head Tebogo Monyai said. “The club has money to pay—they just can’t access it.”

If Sars wins and shuts down Royal AM, MaMkhize and her team won’t be allowed to buy another club for two years. Missing matches could make things worse—PSL chairman Irvin Khoza has already warned the club about this.

The club also owes former player Samir Nurković R15-million and can’t sign new players until they pay him.

Andile, 23, who sometimes plays for the team despite questions about his football skills, might be his mother’s last hope to keep the club going.

The PSL says it’s looking into the situation but won’t say what it plans to do.

Pictured above: Shauwn “MaMkhize” Mkhize and her son.

Source: File