Football superfan Mama Joy has discussed the effect of Royal AM being kicked out of the PSL amid the ongoing conflict with SARS.
The KwaZulu-Natal team was featured in 11 Betway Premiership matches before they were stopped from participating.
This followed significant financial difficulties associated with club owner Shauwn Mkhize, with reports indicating that she owed the South African Revenue Service (SARS) around R40 million in back taxes, resulting in the freezing of the club’s assets.
The situation deteriorated when the club was put under curatorship in November, exacerbating issues that led to players and coaching staff not receiving their salaries.
Additional difficulties emerged in March when a bid to auction the club failed. The successful bidder did not deposit the agreed amount into the specified account before the deadline, keeping the club in ongoing uncertainty.
The choice to remove the club was allegedly made during the PSL’s BoG meeting on Thursday, 10 April, leaving the former Orlando Pirates supporter without a football home.
While speaking to Scroll.africa, she expressed her heartbreak upon hearing about the expulsion, stating that she had lost everything.
“Royal AM was my home. I lost everything. MaMkhize was my mom — she opened her home and took me in. I’m lost and shattered,” said Mama Joy.
She expressed his love for Thwihli Thwahla owner, MaMkhize and added that this is not the end for her. She said she is not looking to back any new team for now and will continue to support the national teams.
“You are my mom, and you will always be my mom. This is not the end of the world. I love and trust you.”
“For now, I’m sticking with the national teams,” she concluded.
On April 10, she tweeted “It’s over yess,,, thanks Ma for giving me an opportunity to be Royal Am Superfan ,, you treated me with dignity with love like one of your family members ,, I enjoyed and thanks to other Royal Am supporters for showing me love Royal Am was my family ,, No home.”
