Bantu vice-president steps down

MASERU – Long-time Bantu vice-president Molefi Lengosane will step down from his role this weekend.

Lengosane has been the right-hand man to Bantu president John Leuta since 2010 and the Mafeteng club have enjoyed the most successful period in their 95-year history during the pair’s time in office.

Lengosane, however, will not stand when ‘A Matšo Matebele’ go for executive elections on Sunday at Golden Hotel in Mafeteng which will bring down the curtain on his storied stay at the club.

During his time in the management committee, Bantu have won all four of the league titles in the club’s existence and competed continentally in CAF competitions.

In 2018, Bantu made history by becoming the first Lesotho club to win a CAF Champions League tie since Lesotho Defence Force in 2002 when they defeated Botswana’s Township Rollers on aggregate.

Lengosane said he looks back at his time in Bantu’s leadership with pride and is delighted to have seen the club grow into a dominant force but he can no longer focus on the club fully because of other commitments. He wished Bantu well and said he will always be available to help ‘A Matšo Matebele’ when he can.

“Bantu needs attention, you need to be close to it all the time and I have a project I am going to be busy with therefore I cannot be fully active with the club,” Lengosane said.

“I will not even be able to attend the meetings so I decided to step aside but I will still support the team financially and physically when I can.”

Lengosane said Bantu have always been driven by a desire to be the best.

However, even though they have had much to celebrate over the past decade, he admitted that the Covid-19 pandemic was difficult to navigate and severely affected the club, not only financially but the team’s performances on the field too.

Lengosane said the club’s expenses are higher than the money they make and it is a big challenge clubs are facing. In recent weeks Vodacom Premier League sides Kick4Life and Lifofane have been put up for sale because of financial woes.

“It costs us a lot to run a football club and, in the end, you get M500 000 prize money,” Lengosane said.

Nonetheless, Lengosane said Bantu’s achievements bring a smile to his face. Bantu’s dream was to be a club that pays its players and brings in top coaches which is what they have done, he said. He also lauded the club’s memorable outings in the CAF Champions League and Bantu’s continuing efforts to professionalise the club.

“We have had so much success locally and we felt we needed to compete in CAF games and to be a professional club,” Lengosane said.

“I look back and I am proud of the work we have done at the club.”

Tlalane Phahla