... ‘Sikhali’ has betrayed us – Mpapane

Ex-Mb. Highlanders’ Sabelo ‘Sikhali’ Ndzinisa. Eswatini Telecom Charity Cup 2019 winner and Top Goal Scorer Josef Lekata is on his way back to Mbabane Highlanders.(File IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

M– It’s all over now – 31-year-old striker Sabelo ‘Sikhali’ Ndzinisa has left Mbabane Highlanders to join security forces side Green Mamba.

The MTN Premier League 2021/22 Player of the Year and national team star striker offered an ‘irresistible deal no other team had matched’, while Highlanders dilly-dallied with a new offer not forthcoming despite rival clubs making their intentions known. Such rivals are Royal Leopard, where he nearly signed on Wednesday but for the respect of Highlanders’ South African Managing Director (MD) Chief Ally Kgomongwe, he requested to be

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIllllllll

M– “It hurts to lose ‘Sikhali’ in this manner.”

Mbabane Highlanders Interim National Supporters Committee (NSC) Vice-Secregiven time to hear him out first. ‘Sikhali’ rattled the net 23 times last season as they finished as league runners-up to Royal Leopard, when he had scored 19 goals in the previous season – that is what Highlanders have let go.

However, it turned out Kgomongwe who they had expected to be here on Thursday or yesterday was not going to make it, after his effort to have ‘Sikhali’ head to Pretoria could not materialise.

Travel

“He had promised to travel over here after he learned the player couldn’t make it there. He informed us he was now going to be here until today (yesterday) or tomorrow (Saturday). Sikhali is gone but he also played his part and made Highlanders happy, now it’s tary General Sizwe ‘Mpapane’ Ndlovu said it was not good for the club to lose 2021/22 MTN Premier League Player of the Year, Sabelo ‘Sikhali’ Ndzinisa to Green Mamba.

“I feel like ‘Sikhali’ has betrayed us after we rescued him from football wilderness. I was hoping that after we gave him two years, he would add a year about his future as he’s played football and now 31 years old,” said an impeccable source. to appreciate what the Chief did for him. Life goes on,” Ndlove said.

He said he had expected ‘Sikhali’ to leave them after he transported the team to Africa, but was hopeful that the club’s Managing Director (MD) Chief Ally Kgomongwe would get them another good striker ahead of the new season.

However, the figures involved could not be revealed as the source said he was not aware of the nitty-gritties but the player and his family were very happy about it which ‘why they could no longer wait for Ally’.

Most of teams that were after the forward had made offers of up to E100 000 and job offers with Leopard and Mbabane Swallows also involved.

Green Mamba is said to have come with a better offer , even better than the one he had at Highlanders in the past two seasons where he was given E100 000 signing-on fee and E12 000 salary. ‘Sikhali’ put pen to paper yesterday morning.

rescued

While ‘Sikhali’ has left Highlanders after two seasons after Kgomongwe, rescued his career following a two-year suspension by a South African Football Association (SAFA) Tribunal while still playing for Mbombela United in the GladAfrica championship in SA. Meanwhile, Kgomongwe seemingly reluctantly accepted the latest.

“It seems he has already signed for Green Mamba but what I can say is we wanted to keep him but then again, ‘Sikhali’ was good for Highlanders and made me, our fans and the whole country proud. He was our best striker and did the job upfront very well but if he’s gone, we have to move on and he’s not the first.

“So long as there’s money, we’ll keep looking for the right quality to sign and replace our striker. It is not in doubt he worked loyally for us and we must wish him well and then think about how we continue winning games.

“We are working on it and still weighing options but we got Lekata arriving tomorrow (today), Tumelo Bereng (from Lesotho) who played for Black Leopards among other PSL teams and then another striker who we must decide if its him or Lekata but the latter will be given a short term contract of six months,” Kgomongwe said but struggling to hide his disappointment as he had been confident he would have ‘Sikhali’ put pen to paper when he got here today.

Height

At the height of all this, Highlanders will now be without their former captain when they face SA’s DStv Premiership leaders Royal AM in the TOTALEnergies CAF Confederation Cup 2022/23, next month in the two-legged preliminary round. The winner here will advance to the second round to face Zambia’s Zesco United in October.

Meanwhile, Highlanders’ Public Relations Officer (PRO) Mandla Madonsela, was uncertain about news of their former captain leaving as he said it was a matter dealt with by Kgomongwe but it was easy to read the disappointment from his tone. He also asked to consult when questioned links with former Green Mamba Coach Dumisani ‘DU’ Makhanya who is said is being roped in to help Head Coach Selaotse ‘Sly’ Mosala.

Green Mamba PRO Manda Sibiya said he was on the road when called about the matter and he was again tried a few more times but his cellphone rang without an answer when he had asked to be called in a few minutes.