“We are not going to Swaziland for fun,” stressed Kaizer Chiefs Football Manager Bobby Motaung about the King’s Super Cup, which will take place on Saturday, July 18, in Swaziland. “We will compete with a full strength team and we will show what Kaizer Chiefs is all about.”

Amakhosi will face Swazi side Mbabane Swallows in the semifinals of the King’s Super Cup. Orlando Pirates play local champions Royal Leopards. The final will take place on the same day.

Chiefs have a long history in Swaziland, starting in the seventies and eighties when the then young Club played regular friendlies in the Kingdom.

Also, several Amakhosi legends originate from Swaziland, including goalkeeper William ‘Cool Cat’ Shongwe, the excellent winger Abel ‘Chacklas’ Shongwe, the striker Absalom ‘Scara’ Thindwa and Ronnie Dube.

“We come to the King’s Super Cup to reconfirm our relationship with Swaziland through soccer,” Motaung confirmed, before adding with a smile: “The tournament will also be an opportunity to have a look at some players. We always found our feet in Swaziland and many Swazi players found their feet at Kaizer Chiefs.”

The King’s Super Cup is an initiative of Swaziland’s King Mswati III.

Two of his sons represented the King at Wednesday evening’s draw to decide who will face each other in the semifinal. They were Prince Sicalo and Prince Bandzile. One prince is reportedly a Kaizer Chiefs supporter, while the other prefers Orlando Pirates.

This is a reflection of the soccer supporters in Swaziland in general. Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates are by far the most popular South African clubs in the Kingdom.

Amakhosi’s opponent in the semifinal, Mbabane Swallows, came second in Swaziland’s premier league last season with 42 points from 22 games. Like Chiefs, they participated in the CAF Champions League, but they failed to progress past the preliminary round.

Swallows’ star player is the 30-year-old midfielder Tony ‘TT’ Tsabedze, who used to play for years in the Absa Premiership for sides like SuperSport United and Maritzburg United.

“Let’s celebrate these games together as Swazis and South Africans,” concluded Motaung. “This tournament is about the friendship that exists between both countries.”

The match between Chiefs and Swallows will kick-off at 9:00 on Saturday morning, 18 July. The Pirates-Leopards clash will be played at 11:00, with the finally probably being held at 15:00. The games will take place at the Somhlolo National Stadium in Lobamba, which is between Mbabane and Manzini.

The tickets will go on sale in one of the coming weeks. We will make an announcement when they become available.