Mkhize defends payments in front of cameras

JOHANNESBURG. — Royal AM owner Shauwn Mkhize says she will do what she “feels right” and when she sees fit, after her controversial decision to pay players bonuses in hard cash on national television after their win over Maritzburg United.

“Royal always had problems and its AM problems will always be like this.

“I can never change what people think, but I can always do what I feel good and what I feel is right at the time,” Mkhize told reporters in Durban.

It is not the first time that Mkhize has been under the spotlight.

Before the bonus incident over the weekend, she was often caught on camera bringing a sound speaker and bodyguards to the stadium, dancing alongside her son Andile Mpisane.

After trying to gain automatic promotion to the top-flight through the court of law, Mkhize finally bought her way to the big table, buying the status of then financially threatened side Bloemfontein Celtic — as week before the start of the term.

At first, the top-flight appeared to be all but demanding for Royal AM as the team’s behind-the-scenes issues — which include accommodation and non-payment of players — started to air in the first few weeks as the team was also not getting results.

But, a win over Chippa United, after the FIFA break, saw the John Maduka coached team turn their fortunes around, winning their last three games against Kaizer Chiefs, TS Galaxy and recently against Maitzburg where the money incident happened. “It makes me feel better and you know sometimes we always say God always has time where he shows off and I think he is showing off for now.

“But, that doesn’t mean this is how it is going to be, we are still taking one game at a time,” she explained. —