By: Lungisa Somtombo
Tornado Football Club is seeking financial support after the owner who was helping the team financially has passed away.
Tornado FC owner Siphiwe ‘Mawawa’ Nyobo was gunned down last month outside North End Stadium in East London.
The Chairman Vusumzi Pati said the team is asking for financial assistance from private companies, Buffalo City Metro Municipality and the Department of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture as the team depended on Nyobo for salaries and travel allowances.
Pati expressed that the BCMM once helped them financially and they are really appreciative of the assistance as it made a difference at the club and now they ask that they continue supporting them.
“Now that Mawawa is gone, we ask stakeholders to fill the gap that he left and help us financially,” he said.
He said the team is number one in the ABC Motsepe Eastern Cape League. They would like to keep it that way until they finish playing in the league and go to Cape Town to the playoffs.
The chairman added that as the soccer club has four matches left in the league, two will be played locally and the other two in Port Elizabeth therefore the team will need money for travelling, food and accomodation.
“We usually travel with our supporters when we play out of town to boost the confidence of the players,” said Pati.
The Department of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture spokesperson Andile Nduna said in his department they have a sport tourism funding where sport teams apply for the funding and give a list of all the needs of the team.
Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality spokesperson Samkelo Ngwenya said they have a good working relationship with Tornado.