DURBAN – While Thanda Royal Zulu might have agreed a sale of their top flight franchise to the AmaZulu owners, the league has yet to receive official notice of the agreement.
Word is that cash-strapped Thanda accepted an offer of R55 million from AmaZulu, the Durban First Division club owned by sugar baron Patrick Sokhela.
Thanda last month won the NFD to earn automatic promotion, while AmaZulu failed to bounce back to the elite league at their second attempt. Premier Soccer League spokesman Luxolo September said the governing body had not received notice about Thanda’s intention to sell.
However, all such transactions had to go via the PSL, said September.
“The final decision rests with the league, but we have not received anything about this deal.”
It’s not the first time Usuthu have attempted to buy their way back into the top division. They tried it the previous campaign, immediately after they were relegated, but failure to comply with certain regulations saw the collapse of the deal to purchase Mpumalanga Black Aces.
This time they would have been more prepared and aware of all the regulations.
According to September some of the submissions that must be made relate to the purchase agreement, employment contracts, liquidity, and ability to finance the club going forward.
The intended sale of the Richards Bay franchise has reportedly disappointed the Umhlathuze municipality, who supported the club financially and logistically with stadium renovations.
However, Thanda chairman Pierre Delvaux highlighted the club’s plight at the end of the season when he said they had operated at a loss for several years.
The lack of a major sponsor would see the club fall deeper into debt, he said shortly after Thanda were presented with their championship trophy. Delvaux was unavailable to confirm when the sale agreement would be presented to the PSL, while AmaZulu general manager Lunga Sokhela was out of the country.
Should the deal be approved by the PSL then AmaZulu would have to revamp their squad to meet the demands of the Absa Premiership.