Convinced they are the only side in the division who pay stipends, Ramatlaohle coach Betty Maseko has extolled the club’s chairman Selby Manganye for the sacrifices he’s made for the club, aiming to repay his support by gaining promotion to the Hollywoodbets Super League.
Ramatlaohle, Limpopo’s representative, are now a win away from securing their berth in the Hollywoodbets Super League after reaching the semifinals of the ongoing Sasol League National Playoffs at Knysna’s Lorie Park Stadium in Western Cape on Thursday.
Maseko’s charges topped Group A, setting a semifinal date with KZN’s Ezemvelo [on Friday at 11am], who earned their last-four berth by virtue of being the best runner-up across the three pools on Thursday. The second semifinal will be between Group C winners University of Cape Town and Group B toppers Kovsie of Free State, also on Friday [3pm].
“To be honest with you, it’s challenging to run a team in the Sasol League but our team is blessed to have a chairman like Selby Manganye. He’s running the team alone out of his own pocket. I believe that we are the only team in the Sasol League across the country who pays players a stipend,” Maseko told Sowetan.
“I can’t reveal how much but we are taking care of our players, and they live in a club house in Mahwelereng [in Mokopane], so they are also not buying food and we transport them to training. The chairman is doing an amazing job to support the team, so the only thing we can reward him with is to gain promotion to the Hollywoodbets Super League.”
Sihle Ndebele
www.sowetanlive.co.za
