Mama Joy to support MaMkhize's new club?

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South Africa’s most recognisable sports supporter, Mama Joy – real name Joy Chauke – has pledged her allegiance to MaMkhize’s new soccer club, Mbalane Highlanders AM FC. This comes months after the businesswoman’s South African team, Royal AM, for which Chauke was an unofficial ambassador, was expelled from the PSL.

Over the weekend, MaMkhize confirmed that she had inked a three-year presidency deal with the eSwatini club.

MAMA JOY BACKS MAMKHIZE’S NEW CLUB

In a post on her X account, Mama Joy not only praised MaMkhize’s new venture as Mbalane Highlanders AM FC president but also offered her support.

She posted: “Mbabane Highlanders Am FC, we are ready to cross the border to Eswatini. Passports are ready.”

In another post, she shared about MaMkhize: “Back with a bang”.

Just a few months ago, Mama Joy – who branded herself as “Royal AM’s number one fan”, shared an emotional post about the end of the road for the club.

Posting a collage of pics of her supporting Thwili Thwala, she shared: “It’s over…thanks Ma for giving me an opportunity to be Royal Am superfan. You treated me with dignity, with love, like one of your family members. I enjoyed [it] and thank other Royal Am supporters for showing me love. Royal Am was my family.”

Mama Joy went on to post that she now faced “no home” in the PSL.

ON HER PAYROLL?

In 2023, Mama Joy denied reports that she was on MaMkhize’s payroll as a then Royal AM supporter.

Speaking on Robert Marawa’s Marawa Sports Worldwide, Chauke admitted she was friends with the businesswoman and often attended the PSL club games.

Mama Joy and MaMkhize
Images via X:
@joychauke5

When Robert bluntly asked if MaMkhize paid her for her unofficial ambassadorship, she responded: “No. People are going to say, ‘You chowed Mamkhize’s money’. I don’t know what to say!

“I’m a Royal AM supporter, and she will follow me and check in on me. I don’t get paid by her for what I do. I do it for the love of the game”.