By Rorisang Modiba
- DJ Black Coffee placed a bid for Royal AM as Sars tries to recover R40 million.
- Bidders include politicians, businessmen and a mystery investor from the DRC.
DJ and producer Black Coffee made a surprise move — bidding to buy Royal AM Football Club, which was auctioned off by Sars to recover millions in unpaid taxes.
The club, owned by flashy businesswoman Shauwn “MaMkhize” Mkhize, was put under the hammer after failing to pay R40 million to the taxman.
According to Sunday World, Black Coffee submitted a strong offer, but the exact amount is not known.
The winning bid is believed to be around R25 million, just above the reserve price set by the South African Revenue Service (Sars). But the official new owner has not been announced yet.
Former football boss and MK Party politician David “Mazolman” Skosana’s R15 million bid was turned down.
Other bidders included businessman Joe Sibanyoni, a Greek businessman said to be linked to Minister Gayton McKenzie, and an unnamed investor from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
All bidders were required to pay a R1 million deposit to take part in the auction.
But buying Royal AM is not just about bragging rights — the club comes with a pile of problems.
The new owner will have to deal with a Fifa ban on signing players because of a R15 million debt owed to former striker Samir Nurković.
There’s also R600,000 in unpaid wages for defender Ricardo Nascimento.
To make matters worse, the Democratic Alliance (DA) may take the matter to court.
The party wants the club to pay back part of the R27 million it got from the Msunduzi Municipality in sponsorship.
Even though the auction is over, fans are still in the dark about the future of the club.
Pictured above: Black Coffee.
Image source: @realblackcoffee
