BY FORTUNE MBELE
THE Zimbabwean duo of goalkeeper Washington Arubi and midfielder Farai Madhananga face an uncertain future at their South African Premier League side Tshakuma Tsha Madzivhandila (TTM), which have been sold once again.
TTM has only played 13 games in the top league and it’s barely a year after they acquired Bidvest Wits’ franchise, a sale which did not go down well with several football stakeholders.
They anchor the log table with one win from 13 games.
The club has been sold to businessman Ditonkana Abram Sello for R40 million by Lawrence Mulaudzi who has struggled to keep the team afloat in the DStv Premiership.
Mulaudzi is in arrears of unspecified amounts in players’ salaries with the South African Football Players Union (SAFPU) following the case keenly, concerned that the club will exchange hands with the players not having received their dues.
What remains to be seen is whether the sale to the new owner, salvages Arubi and Madhananga’s situations in the South African top league.
When the Clever Boys’ franchise was sold, Madhananga and compatriots Terrence Dzvukamanja and McClive Phiri’s futures looked bleak with the former getting a lifeline as he was grabbed by giants Orlando Pirates while the latter joined GladAfrica championship side Sekhukhune United.
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Arubi has been a regular at TTM, while Madhananga has not played a single game as his worke permit is yet to be sorted.
South African publication The Sowetan, reports that businessman Sello has emerged as the new owner of TTM.
The Sowetan quotes a source saying: “Dr Ntsoko made an offer, but it was not successful. The new owner paid R30m, and he is going to pay another R10m at a later stage, meaning the purchase price was R40m in total.”
But the news has not been received well by SAFPU, whose president Thulaganyo Gaoshubelwe said they were happy with investments in football from indigenous South Africans, but not to the detriment of players.
“We encourage investments as we are experiencing a shortage of black investors in football, but we cannot be happy if the investment is disadvantaging the players. We will implement section 195 to make sure that the players are financially protected. We will do everything legally to make sure that the new owners do everything accordingly and follow due protocol,” Gaoshubelwe said.
The TTM players are said to have met with Mulaudzi on Monday where they were told that the club was being sold to Sello pending approval from responsible authorities.
If the sale is approved, the club, which bought Bidvest Wits when they were competing in the GladAfrica Chmpionship, is set to relocate from Louis Trichardt to Polokwane.
SAFPU was due to meet with the players yesterday and is making frantic efforts to also engage Mulaudzi and Sello.
TTM had a fallout with coach Norman Mapeza last year, a few days before FC Platinum was due to put pen to paper with him to be their next coach before the start of the 2020/2021 season.
Follow Fortune on Twitter @fmbele
