Royal AM president Shauwn ‘Ma’ Mkhize has penned an open letter to the club’s supporters and dismissed rumours that the club is for sale.
Thwihli Thwahla are third from bottom of the DStv Premiership table with 11 points after 11 matches, two behind second from bottom Richards Bay FC.
Royal AM, who are serving a FIFA ban, have only won three matches this season – two at home and one away, which has led to coach John Maduka to be severely under pressure.
They head to the international break after losing 2-0 Cape Town City at DHL Stadium on Friday, and Mkhize used the opportunity to send a letter to the club’s fans.
“Since the start of the new season, the team has been experiencing mixed fortunes in the field of play. As a matter of fact, it is safe to say, that this season has been the most unpredictable in terms of results by far,” she said in a long statement.
“We remain hopeful that with your support on and off the field, we are going to see some improvements. Together with our technical team, we will continue to find a winning formula as we aim to cement our place in a decent top half of the DStv Premiership log standing.”
The club signed a deal with Msunduzi Municipality, who pledged R27 million for three years, including using the Harry Gwala Stadium for free. The value of investment was estimated by the city of Msunduzi municipality at R55 million per year through tourism and hospitality.
But this deal has been challenged by the Democratic Alliance in Pietermaritzburg, which has taken the matter to court, alleging that it is a “misuse of funds from taxpayers” and it should be used somewhere else.
“We say with pride and joy that if it wasn’t for Msunduzi Municipality, we wouldn’t be calling Pietermaritzburg our home,” added MaMkhize.
“The warm welcome that we have received from the Mayor (Mzimkhulu Thebolla) and his troops the nearest [is a] testimony to the fact that City of Choice is indeed a city where you can work, do business, play, raise your family, and of course being the capital city of education, where you can study at all levels of education.
“In everything that we do, we strive to do better and [to] be better, we know very well that we cannot achieve such without your continuous backing, it is for this reason that we humble ourselves before and request your support from all of you across the city and the district.”
There has been murmurs that the club is for sale, but MaMkhize has yet again rejected those talks.
“I would like to take this opportunity to state clearly that despite rumours and gossips that have been making rounds on social media, Royal AM IS NOT FOR SALE,” she wrote.
“We made a commitment with the people of Pietermaritzburg through our partnership with Munduzi Municipality that we value, cherish and respect and we can all rest assured that Royal AM is here to stay and prosper.
“I am looking forward to meeting each and every one of you, be it in the stadium stands, team activation, charity event or anywhere where football destiny lead is to.”
