Former SuperSport United communications manager David Skosana is not giving up on his dream of bringing PSL football to KwaNdebele in Mpumalanga.
Skhosane and taxi mogul Joe 'Ferrari' Sibanyoni were vying for the status of Royal AM after being placed on sale by a curator to recover R40 million debt owed by the club boss Shawn Mkhize to SARS. The new owners of Royal AM are yet to be announced, with reports suggesting the club could return to Bloemfontein before the end of the season.
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Skhosane and Sibanyoni have embarked on a joint venture to purchase a football club for the people of KwaNdebele and make Solomon Mahlangu Stadium their fortress. 'Mazolman', as Skhosane is affectionately known in football circles, is currently serving as MP for a political party called MK, while 'Ferrari' owns a fleet of taxis in Mpumalanga and Gauteng.
Thwihli Thwahla is sitting at the bottom of the Betway Premiership log with eight points after playing eleven games so far this season.
The duo's bid has since been unsuccessful.
"We are not giving up. We're still searching and another opportunity will come," Skhosane tells KickOff.com.
"Maybe it was a blessing in disguise for us to fail and secure the status of Royal AM looking at the position where the club is currently sitting in the Betway Premiership. Its going to be a tall order to catch up with the rest of the games.
"We will continue to search. We plan to have a team in KwaNdebele and uplift the community. We are desperate to have our own team here. Yes, TS Galaxy is from here but they are playing their games in Mbombela. They might have their reasons, I cannot speak on their behalf. We plan to work around and get a PSL team for our people in KwaNdebele and play their home games at Solomon Mahlangu Stadium," he added.
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Joe Sibanyoni is currently the Executive President of the South African Local and Long Distance Association. 'Ferrari' introduced himself in the transport industry as a taxi driver in Kwaggafontein before moving to buy his first taxi in 1995. He is reported to have three wives and more than fourteen children.
Sibanyoni launched the Joe Sibanyoni Foundation early this year where promised to address the issue of unemployed graduates.