Royal AM, the Premier Soccer League (PSL) football club that is owned by South African entrepreneur Shauwn MaMkhize Mkhize, is being sold by the South African Revenue Service (SARS) due to alleged tax debt.
According to MDN News, SARS has obtained a court-granted preservation order against several properties owned by MaMkhize, including Royal AM, to recover an alleged R40 million in owed taxes.
The club has been under curatorship, and SARS has won the battle to sell Royal AM after months of court battles. This decision has significant implications for the club, its players, and its fans. Royal AM has been struggling to fulfil its fixtures, and the PSL has suspended all their matches until further notice.
It’s worth noting that MaMkhize had previously denied rumours that Royal AM was for sale, stating that the club was committed to its partnership with the Msunduzi Municipality and the people of Pietermaritzburg.
However, the latest developments suggest that SARS’s efforts to recover the alleged tax debt have led to the sale of the club.
X (previously Twitter) users have shared their views about this decision-making claiming that having a tax foundation is very important for people who are monied.
Knowing how to play the tax game is the foundational class for the rich. Anyone who doesn’t know how to play the game is poor because they will tell you how much to pay, leaving you bankrupt when it should be you determining how much you will pay. Learn your way around taxes as…
— 🏘️IamEri’Oluwa🇳🇬 (@IamEriOluwa) February 18, 2025
Another user commented talking about SARS saying they should have let the team grow before.
If they were clever, they should have let it play and sell them with PSL status. Now the value of the club is relatively low, who wants to buy something that has so much uncertainty
— Sibonelo Mvelase (@khule7272) February 17, 2025
One user asked about where the money MaMkhize is flaunting on social media.
This whole saga doesn’t make sense, I thought Mamkhize was a multimillionaire. What happened to the money she was flaunting on social media??? They were literally buying luxury cars every 2 months.
— Sbusiso Nkabinde (@Sbusiso_Rza) February 18, 2025
