SARS Raids Shauwn Mkhize’s Royal AM Base As R40M Tax Debt Crisis Escalates
- SARS raided Royal AM’s football facility on Wednesday as Shauwn Mkhize’s tax troubles deepened
- Mkhize, who reportedly owes SARS R40 million, also had properties in Sandton and Nkanyezini targeted
- Players training at the Royal Ranch were left stunned as dormitories and living quarters were emptied
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Former Royal AM president and well-known socialite Shauwn Mkhize’s tax woes escalated on Wednesday, 17 September , when the South African Revenue Service (SARS) raided the club’s former training facilities.
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Mkhize is reportedly battling a R40 million tax bill owed to SARS, which previously resulted in Royal AM being placed under curatorship.
According to IOL, a fleet of trucks swooped on the training ground at a farm outside Pietermaritzburg, removing vehicles and other assets.
Why did SARS target multiple properties?
The tax enforcement operation was not confined to KwaZulu-Natal. Insiders revealed that SARS, backed by law enforcement officers, also carried out raids at Mkhize’s Sandton home.
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On Tuesday, officials extended their operation to Nkanyezini, near Pietermaritzburg, where they searched the residence of her sister, Nozipho Ngubo.
By Wednesday, the focus had returned to KwaZulu-Natal, with officers descending on Royal Ranch, the training base of Royal AM, located along the R56 between Pietermaritzburg and Maqongqo.
Nearly 10 trucks were involved, ferrying away furniture and movable property. Tow trucks, both light and heavy-duty, removed luxury vehicles, construction machinery, and shipping containers.
Briefly News previously reported that Ngubo had accused Mkhize of using her name without consent to purchase Royal AM.
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How did the players react?
Despite the commotion, Royal AM players continued their training session, apparently unaware of the raid.
Wearing kits still bearing the Premier Soccer League (PSL) logo, they carried on, even though the club was expelled from the top-flight in April for failing to honour Betway Premiership fixtures, a crisis fuelled by mounting tax debts.
An older man supervising the session criticised the way the situation was being portrayed.
“The media makes it look like a spectacle, but for us this is devastating. It affects the players and their future,” he said.
Another individual pointed out that the seized buildings included dormitories for the women’s team.
“We just saw trucks arriving and removing furniture while we were training. None of us knows what’s happening,” he explained.
When asked about the players’ salaries, he declined to answer directly but raised concerns that they could soon be left without essentials such as beds. He added that Mkhize had not communicated the reason for the raid to the players.
What was taken during the raid?
A source close to both Mkhize and Ngubo confirmed that SARS had conducted back-to-back operations this week.
“The atmosphere is tense. They struck in Sandton and took almost everything. Then they came to the farm, removing property on both Tuesday and Wednesday. Beds, furniture ,even items from the main house, were taken,” the source said.
Mama Joy speaks on MaMkhize's new club
Briefly News previously reported that the former Royal AM boss, MaMkhize, has been unveiled as the president of a football club in Eswatini.
MaMkhize was congratulated by Mama Joy, once a superfan of Royal AM, who praised her and rallied behind her new venture in Eswatini.
Source: Briefly News
