Mbabane: Eswatini’s Mbombela United contingent have tested negative of Coronavirus and now await the green flag to cross-over to South Africa by that country’s embassy authorities inside the capital, Mbabane.
The GladAfrica Championship side Mbombela United staff and players from the country were denied entrance into South Africa due to lockdown restrictions last week.
Coach Siyabonga Bhembe, orthodox midfielder Njabulo ‘D4D’ Ndlovu, industrious attacker Felix Badenhorst, the mercurial Banele ‘Pupu’ Sikhondze, game-a-goal forward Sabelo ‘Sikhali’ Ndzinisa and the youthful Justice Figuareido have been unable to re-enter South Africa.
Assistant Coach Dennis ‘Yuki’ Masina is already in Mbombela.
All tested negative for Covid-19 but were refused entry to Mzansi due to missing necessary documents authorising their travel.
The group was turned back at the border gate by South African immigration officers.
Mbombela chairman Oupa Matsebula says they are working around the clock to ensure the players will be allowed to cross over.
“Ya they’ve been turned pillar to post, they are sent to the embassy,” Matsebula tells KickOff.com.
“Today they sent their applications. They tested negative… and they are stuck in Swaziland, for the whole week, including the coach ‘Bhembe’ and the assistant coach. All of them can’t return, I don’t know what the problem is.
“It seems they need to inform the South African… it seems it’s the South African side that has a problem. Ya so they need to go to the South African embassy, and I don’t know to do what.
“And they tried going through the processes but still… because it’s three days now they’ve been sent from pillar to post. It seems these people also don’t know the process, it’s a finder-finder,” Matsebula told KickOff.com
South Africa is preparing to resume football following the Coronavirus storm that has saw about 12 million people infected and half a million fatalities across the globe.
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