In this edition of Supporters Forum, KickOff speaks to Moroka Swallows die-hard supporter Mathe SJ MP about his long-standing affair with the now-defunct giant.
Mathe says supporters should take some of the blame for the death of his favourite team.
Name of supporter?
"My full name is Sphiwe John Mathe, those are the initials written on my number plate. I'm originally from Nelspruit, Malelane Region. Currently, I'm based in Katlehong. As a hustler, I'm here to survive. I was born in Katlehong but raised in Nelspruit."
Club supported?
"I was a Mpumalanga Black Aces supporter, I had to stop when the club was sold. I tried supporting Kaizer Chiefs but I couldn't stay even two seasons there.
"I left Chiefs when Swallows played the Nedbank Cup final against AmaTuks. I was always in love with Moroka Swallows, even as an Aces supporter. It was in 2009 when I started supporting Swallows."
Why are you still dressed in Swallows regalia when the club is no more?
"I love this club, my brother, I don't see myself being a supporter of another club. Yes, I will still attend all the games of my home team, TS Galaxy, but inside, I will remain a Swallows supporter. I believe the Beautiful Birds will rise again. I'm not doing it for attention."
Are you happy with the way the club vanished?
"It hurts. I don't wanna lie, but we can't blame the bosses, things were not going right. Running a PSL team needs a lot of money. Without a sponsor, you can't survive.
"And as supporters, we failed the team, we didn't give the club enough support. We didn't buy the club's merchandise, and we were not attending games.
"Our attendance at Dobsonville was not good at all."
How long are you prepared to wait for the club's resurrection?
"I still believe the Birds will fly back home again, I will never lose hope. As supporters, we'd love to own at least 50% of the club.
"To keep myself busy, I will continue going to stadiums to support football because I'm not used to watching it on television."