Sports

Investor leaves Eleven Angels

Changes: Mpatane confirmed Kgathola’s departure PIC: PHATSIMO KAPENG
 
Changes: Mpatane confirmed Kgathola’s departure PIC: PHATSIMO KAPENG

Earlier this week, MmegiSport learnt that Kgathola who was brought in amid much fanfare, no longer holds any shareholding at the club. In April, Kgathola was allocated 50% ownership of the club while Mpatane retained a 50% stake.

Before Kgathola’s arrival, Mpatane enjoyed sole ownership of the club. However, CIPA (Companies and Intellectual Property Authority) records have now allocated Kgathola the designation of former director. Records also show that Mpatane has since assumed full ownership of the club once again. Furthermore, CIPA records state that Kgathola officially ceased being part owner of the club last week Friday. Various sources maintain that Kgathola has not been involved in the affairs of the club for some time.

There have been reports of a rift between Mpatane and Kgathola, but the source of the conflict has never been clearly expressed. Mpatane confirmed Kgathola’s departure but shot down suggestions that there might have been tensions between them. When he arrived Kgathola bought a bus for the club. “I can confirm that Kgathola has since divested from the club. He recently left to pursue other business interests. I cannot go into much detail about his departure because his relationship with the club was confidential.

There was, however, no rift at all,” Mpatane told MmegiSport. Others have speculated that Kgathola let go of his shares at the club because he could not keep up with the demands of funding a Premier League team given the fact that the league is not fairly rewarding and the club does not enjoy solid sponsorship. But Mpatane maintained his initial stance regarding Kgathola’s departure when pressed further. “Trust me Kgathola left to focus on other business interests that needed much of his attention.

The end of his relationship with the club was very harmonious,” he said. Kgathola reportedly owns several businesses. Amongst others, it is said that he has a stake in Khuduga TV.

Khuduga is a television channel which mostly broadcasts through ISDBT Set Top Box. Khuduga attracted the rage of the Botswana Football League a few months ago when it illegally broadcast a Premier League match between Angels and BDF XI. The incident occurred a few weeks after Kgathola assumed part ownership of Angels. When he came in, sources said he had availed funds to finance the club’s operations. Until his arrival, Angels had severely struggled to finance key operations such as paying players’ salaries on time. Efforts to get hold of Kgathola were unsuccessful at press time.