D-Day for Moroka Swallows

Moroka Swallows, one of South Africa’s oldest and most famous football clubs, could be placed under a final winding-up order by a Gauteng High Court on Thursday, for failing to pay over R1.5 million in arrears in rent to Dobsonville Stadium.

Dobsonville Stadium PTY LTD have applied for the winding up order, after repeated demands for payment of rent.

The claim relates to R1,614,584.13 in unpaid rent, for the rental of Dobsonville Stadium between July 2013 and June 2015.

Swallows have announced their intention to contest the application, with the matter due to be heard on Thursday.

The club have fallen apart since being relegated from the Absa Premiership at the end of the 2014/15 season. They were relegated again from the National First Division to the ABC Motsepe League in the 2015/16 campaign, and last season also dropped out of the ABC Motsepe League.

There have already been reports that they face being dissolved by Fifa over non-payment of players.

“The club’s bank account was frozen, offices were locked as they owed rent, staff and players were not paid their salaries and there were leadership challenges as well,” Panyaza Lesufi told the City Press Newspaper in April.

Lesufi is a successful businessman and a staunch Moroka Swalows supporter who led a failed consortium that tried to buy the Free State Stars franchise and get the Birds back in the Absa Premiership last season.