SOCCER – FORMER Manzini Wanderers boss Sandile ‘Chief’ Dlamini says he was forced to surrender control of the club at gunpoint in October 2022.
Dlamini alleges that five armed men arrived at his Elangeni homestead and demanded that he handed over leadership of the club. Fearing for his safety, he says he complied and signed a letter transferring control of Manzini Wanderers.
The incident brought an abrupt end to Dlamini’s 20-year involvement with the club, a period during which he served as one of Wanderers’ most influential figures. What initially appeared to be a routine visit quickly turned into a terrifying ordeal. The men were armed and carried a clear message that he had to hand over control of the club immediately.
According to Dlamini, the visitors claimed that an Italian businessman was prepared to inject E3 million into Manzini Wanderers.
“They insisted that new leadership was needed for the investment to materialise. Faced with armed men and fearing for his safety, I felt he had no choice but to comply,” he said.
In that moment, a 20-year journey in football administration came to a sudden and painful end. The decision was not made willingly; it was made under duress.
Speaking later on the EBIS Programme hosted by Donitus ‘Nkonotja’ Zwane, Dlamini recounted the experience with visible emotion. He said some of the individuals involved in forcing his departure remained active within the club and continued to occupy influential positions.
Beyond the dramatic takeover, Dlamini expressed concern about the club’s steady decline. Once one of the most respected and feared teams in Eswatini football, Manzini Wanderers had become a shadow of its former self. He blamed internal conflicts, divisions and constant infighting for destroying the club’s unity.
For Dlamini, the painful events of that October morning symbolised more than just his removal. They represented the collapse of a proud football institution that had once united thousands.
