Siwelele chairman Calvin Le John has confirmed that the club has parted ways with CEO Stan Matthews and assistant coach Andre Arendse.
According to Le John, who purchased the club’s status from SuperSport United, the decision was made due to threats against the lives of Matthews and Arendse and their families.
Departures and Team Performance
“They have been great men to work with, but I cannot in good conscience keep them on board when their lives and their families’ lives are being threatened on a daily basis,” he said.
The club has had a difficult start to the season, with only one win in seven matches—a victory against Golden Arrows in their opening game. After a 2-0 loss to Magesi this past Saturday, Siwelele now sits third from the bottom of the table with only four points.
Le John also announced that underperforming players would be released. “We are also going to terminate the contracts of various players who have not shown the heart and the willingness to fight for this team,” he confirmed.
Financial and Operational Challenges
The chairman also shed light on the club’s current operational challenges. Since the club is based in Johannesburg, it is the only team in the league that plays all its matches away from home. Le John explained that this has created significant travel costs, forcing the club to implement a new travel policy.
“We have put a policy in place that requires for us to fly only when we are traveling above 600 kilometers,” he said. “Sometimes we will make exceptions when there are too many fixtures in a week. But unfortunately, in order to run a sustainable team, these are the choices that we are going to have to make.”
Le John emphasized that his goal is to create a sustainable team for the long term, not to make a profit or run at a loss. “We seek to create a sustainable team that will be here for the next 10 years to come. And that requires us to follow our budget, regardless of how the media feels about it,” he concluded.
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