Just out of curiosity; who is financing Phiri and Mmui?

Thuso Palai | Thursday October 24, 2013 15:19

Legal fees are no child's play and the endless trips to the courts of law also cost money. Off late I have seen full page press statements from one of the parties dismissing the other.  And that costs money. I know who finances the Somarset Gobuiwang and BMC – Kganela corner, and I’m yet to know who finances Sonny Phiri and Spencer Mmui, and why they are doing it. Not to doubt the deepness of their pockets; it is hard to believe that they are in this alone. I believe there are some people, some invisible hand or hands financing the two.

At Township Rollers, the war between Somarset Gobuiwang and Spencer Mmui has reached uncharted territories. The once buddy - buddy two have taken the gloves off and their feud has reached the courts of law. As it is, they have a date in court sometime before the 23rd of November. We all know that Gobuiwang is well off, atleast I have been made to believe so, and he also has the financial backing of JagDish Shah who is well off financially and has a lot to gain or lose if the courts don’t favor Gobuiwang. So legal fees and spending a few Pula on lawyers can’t be too heavy for them.   As for Mmui, the little that I know of him is that he is not a wealthy man, compared to Gobuiwang and Shah, who we all know is said to be a millionaire. That’s what caught my attention and I started to ask around. Who is really financing Mmui and what do those invisible person or people have to gain or what do they want out of all this.

A few names have been bandied about but it is still not clear as to who is who in this riddle. Some prominent names have been mentioned as possible Mmui backers. Some of the names are of people who have in the past closely worked with Rollers and with Gobuiwang. Bluntly put, they have been involved with and have been close to Township Rollers in the past. Their names have always cropped up in this battle. Justifiably or unjustifiably so; it looks like they are not great fans of what is happening at Popa at the moment, maybe that’s why they are rumored said to be financing Mmui.  They have all been involved at Popa in some capacity in recent times and left unceremoniously.

As for Phiri, his story really intrigues me. He has stood tall against all odds, taking some heavy hits but always standing right up to fight another day. He has taken the fight to the other party, in the process spending money. Phiri has secured the services of prominent lawyer Duma Boko who has been fighting in his corner and he doesn’t come cheap.  Once again, not that I doubt Phiri’s pockets, I cannot for one second believe that Sonny Phiri is in this all alone and is footing the bill for everything. After losing the last round, Phiri is currently contemplating taking his gripe to the Court of Appeal, and that will come with more costs.

There have been rumors flying around as to who is actually financing Phiri and what those people have to gain. Well; it seems like a long shot, but thinking about it; it makes a bit of sense. The rumor is that one prominent football administrator, who has a close relationship with one pay tv channel that sponsors and owns a football team in RSA, actually wanted to take the team under their wing. The master plan, as I hear it; which is just a theory for now; was to have the team divorced altogether from BMC and not transferred to the Ghoudratti’s and then to have the pay tv channel to come in and rescue the side.

As it is, the gloves are off, and it is quite interesting to see where these stand-offs end. And while at it; it would be interesting to see if the faceless financiers eventually come to the foe. What would be interesting is to actually know what these alledged ghost financiers have to gain and what their motivation is.