MaMkhize faces legal battle over new football club
Durban businesswoman Shauwn “MaMkhize” Mkhize is reportedly embroiled in another legal dispute, this time in Eswatini, over her involvement with Premier Soccer League side Mbabane Highlanders AM FC.
The matter has been taken to the High Court by former club owner Bheki Simelane, who insists he remains the rightful owner and claims he was unlawfully removed from his position.
Mkhize, who only recently invested in the prominent Eswatini football club, is facing allegations of unresolved leadership and ownership issues.
Simelane alleges an agreement was in place until the end of the 2025/26 season, but says Mkhize failed to meet with him to resolve the matter.
“We had an agreement in place until the end of the 2025/26 season. MaMkhize promised to meet us to resolve the matter, but that has not happened, hence the legal action,” confirmed the club’s managing director, Mandla Shongwe.
Her representatives, however, maintain that the transfer of ownership was done through proper procedures.
But further complications have arisen after Eswatini Premier Soccer League CEO Pat Vilakati revealed she missed the official registration deadline of 21 July 2025 to list herself as the new owner.
“Yes, for now, the club’s ownership and name remain unchanged,” Vilakati said, explaining that the final handover papers between Mkhize and Simelane were never signed before the cut-off date.
This latest case adds to a string of controversies shadowing Mkhize’s football dealings.
She is still locked in a R40 million tax dispute with SARS linked to her former club Royal AM, and earlier this year, the Pietermaritzburg High Court ordered her to repay R27 million from a sponsorship deal with the Msunduzi Municipality, which was declared unlawful.
