Andile Mpisane earns move abroad – to his mother’s team, of course

Former Royal AM chairman and player Andile Mpisane is reportedly on the path to making a return to the pitch.

According to a report in Eswatini Daily News, the 24-year-old DJ, rapper and son of Durban businesswoman Shauwn Mkhize, has been training with the rest of the Mbabane Highlanders AM squad as they prepare for the new season, which kicks off this weekend.

Mpisane has not been seen on the football pitch since Royal AM were an active club in December last year.

Since then, Royal AM’s problems have been well documented. The club was kicked out of the PSL earlier this year after being placed under curatorship to help recoup the R40 million owner Mkhize owed to the taxman.

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After the club’s demise, Mkhize moved on to become the Mbabane Highlanders owner. She later rebranded the club to Mbabane Highlanders AM to feature her son’s initials.

After taking over the club, Mkhize said in an interview with Metro FM that her son would be transitioning to the administrative side of the game and was done playing.

“Even when Royal AM was there, he was starting to learn the administrative part of it,” Mkhize said about her son at the time.

“I think all he wanted was to play in the elite league – which he did, he tasted that… I don’t know, but for now I think he prefers to be in the management space. I don’t see him going [to Eswatini], but he enjoys being in the business side of things.”

On the field, however, his performances told a different story. One game that stands out when judging his ability is last year’s clash against Soweto giants Kaizer Chiefs. Mpisane looked out of his depth as Chiefs dominated, racing to a 2–0 lead before half-time.

Mpisane was taken off at half-time. Royal AM regrouped and played better, eventually earning a credible 2-2 draw. Mpisane never started another game after that. The club played just three more times after the Chiefs match.

Now, with his surprise return to training, questions will be asked about whether Mpisane is serious about reigniting his football career or whether this is more of a symbolic move under his mother’s ownership.

Either way, his presence will attract attention when the new season kicks off in Eswatini, as fans and critics watch to see if he can make an impact after months away.

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