Andile Mpisane looks set to resume his football career as his mother, Shauwn Mkhize, appears to be closing in on purchasing Eswatini club Mbabane Highlanders.
The young Mpisane last turned out for Royal AM, the club his mother owned and named in his honour, in December last year before they were thrown into turmoil.
It had been thought that Mpisane’s football career was well and truly over, as he was unlikely to be picked up by any of the other clubs in the PSL.
According to reports, MaMkhize has bought the club and has been installed as their new president. All that needs to happen now is an official announcement.
The mother-and-son duo’s time in the PSL is well documented. After being appointed chairman of the club his mother owned, Mpisane started featuring in official games. At first, it was a few games here and there.
Then, after the club was handed a transfer ban by FIFA over unpaid salaries due to Samir Nurkovic and Ricardo Nascimento, he started to feature a lot more.
The club came under fire as Mpisane, a rapper and DJ, started to feature against the likes of Kaizer Chiefs. In their game against the mighty Amakhosi towards the end of last year, Mpisane was out of his depth as the Soweto giants ran the show and raced to a 2–0 lead before half-time.
When Mpisane was taken off after the break, Royal AM started to play with more purpose and eventually earned an encouraging 2-all draw. Mpisane never started another game. The club played just three more times after the Chiefs match.
In April, Royal AM were expelled from the PSL after they had been placed under curatorship to help recoup some of the R40 million Mkhize owed in taxes. Under curatorship, the club ceased paying player salaries, halted training, and was unable to fulfil fixtures.
All their remaining 11 league results were scrapped, and the league continued with just 15 teams, suspending automatic relegation – meaning only a play-off would decide the drop zone.
IOL Sport
