Security forces dominate other sports
MBABANE – It’s simply a takeover that has led to inevitable dominance in Eswatini sports. That is the situation with the country’s sports and the security forces, these being the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS), Umbutfo Eswatini Defence Force (UEDF) and His Majesty’s Correctional Services. They are all into various sports at the elite level, like football (men and women), netball, athletics, volleyball, pool, shooting and karate.
As the country’s elite ‘Big Four’ football teams in Mbabane Highlanders, Mbabane Swallows, Manzini Wanderers and Moneni Pirates currently fight their rival teams from the security forces over the perceived unfair advantage, this publication went out to scrutinise their presence in the other sporting disciplines where they have been dominant for over a decade in some, and recruit the best players from their rivals and a few players are spotted from schools.
A lot has been said about football whereby they lure the best players with the promise of government jobs, and allegedly negotiate with parents instead of the potential signees’ teams, do not sell their players to other teams but loan them out and these loaned out players do not get action against these security forces teams, which also extends to officials like coaches (for example coach Sifiso ‘Nuro’ Ntibane sat out all matches against Leopard as he is their former player, coach and a police officer, while at Tinyosi and Tambankulu Callies).
Senior soccer national team Sihlangu and junior squads are also dominated by the security forces’ coaches. Only unemployed players can be sold to their civilian rival teams yet they go for any shining star.
This is not just an issue for Premier League of Eswatini (PLE) teams but also women football teams, who could not score one goal against cricket scores-winning Umbutfo Eswatini Defence Force’s (UEDF) Young Buffaloes Ladies.
However, the ladies were exposed for non-competition domestically
DOMINANCE:
The sports security forces supposedly have unfair advantage in:
1. Soccer at elite level (men and women)
2. Volleyball (men and women)
3. Netball (men and women)
4. Pool (men)
5. Athletics
6. Shooting
recently in South Africa when they experienced a rain of goals against them in the Hollywoodbets COSAFA Women’s Champions League 2022 in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal.
Buffaloes have the best players who also come from their rivals, while Royal Leopard Ladies also have the cream of the crop but have not been any better than their army counterparts. Buffaloes have dominated the Women Football League and knockouts for years now.
DOMINATED
Interestingly, the senior women national team Sitsebe is dominated by the impressive AS Interladies from Lobamba as they head to Gqerbeha, KwaZulu-Natal for the Hollywoodbets COSAFA Women’s Championship 2022 next week.
It is also worth mentioning that the one international for Eswatini in women football; Tenanile Ngcamphalala who is based in Equatorial Guinea is also a former Buffaloes player, but has not been included in the national team.
Moving on to athletics, the police own Eswatini’s fastest man in sprinter Sibusiso ‘Swazi Bolt’ Matsenjwa, UEDF had top athlete Phumlile Ndzinisa, Correctional also have their own including doping-banned star Thandaza Zwane.
If you leave athletics and look at volleyball, the has been hardly any team in there first and second positions for over a decade than Correctional Services and REPS. which is both in men and women’s elite leagues. They also dominate the national squads especially in the ladies division.
The security forces also dominate netball with REPS the kings of the game but Correctional Services remain their biggest rival the two interchange the titles but the former rules. They also recruit the best players from their rivals, and win all tournaments with the job offers spread across all sports.
Going to shooting, this one is their sport so they definitely should dominate as it’s mostly played by police, soldiers and warders but open to all interested.
It is in pool or cue sports that they are also taking over under the Manzini Regional Pool Association (MRPA) where they have four active teams but UEDF has not really owned its teams Garrison and Phocweni as they continue to struggle with the best players being signed by already Dixie’s International Pool League consecutive champions, REPS Pool Team.
They just defended the league and won the knockout. The police dominated the senior men national team that played in the Zambia All Africa Blackball Championships in April this year. Their closest competition here is Correctional Services who, like them, are going for the game’s best players.
However, the likes of Buffaloes and Leopard have reserved their comments since the battle started last week as the Simunye teams met at Happy Valley Hotel, but Green Mamba’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mandla Sibiya who felt this was an unjustified attack on their teams by the ‘Big Four’, who also signed players from the other civilian teams.
In a recent response, the security forces teams claimed they did not use government resources as they used won funds to fuel cars to games.
RESOURCES
In volleyball, some officials from other clubs said the dominance was something that was here to stay as long as these teams used government resources.
“As is, five of the main players and two coaches for male and female squads for Correctional Services volleyball are from Bob Cats and these forces dominate the national teams. However, had it not been for COVID-19, they would be facing a stiff challenge in the male division,” said a volleyball official on condition of anonymity.
However, the positive side of the security forces was still acknowledged under the present economic situation in Eswatini as players got jobs.