How Lungu breathed life into Augustine Mahlonoko and Mbanjwa amid Swallows’ crisis
Moroka Swallows team manager Elasto Lungu has revealed the audacious order he gave to breathe life into Augustine Mahlonoko and Lwanda Mbanjwa.
Elasto Lungu has been Moroka Swallows’ team manager since 2020. The former Zimbabwe international midfielder had a decent career, having played for AmaZulu FC and Bidvest Wits.
Plausibly, he had a smooth transition into football management, kicking off the journey at Cape Town All Stars, where he was briefly their CEO.
In truth, he perhaps got his first real challenge during the 2023/24 season with the Dube Birds. For the wrong reasons, the Soweto side hogged the limelight after failing to fulfil two matches because of players’ strike over salaries.
As a result, Mamelodi Sundowns and Golden Arrows received walkover victories with three points and three goals each. On top of that, Swallows were slapped with a hefty fine for failing to meet their DStv Premiership obligation.
In addition, the club parted ways with several players, including star midfielder Andile Jali. Coach Steve Komphela also left the club, leaving Musa Nyatama at the helm, albeit on an interim basis.
HOW LUNGU PLUCKED MAHLONOKO AND MBANJWA FROM OBSCURITY TO HELP SWALLOWS’ CAUSE
It was during this time that the team manager, Elasto Lungu, made a rather audacious order to turn around the team. Most importantly, the decision ended up breathing life into Augustine Mahlonoko, who had just been offloaded by La Masia.
His audacious decision also paved the way for Lwanda Mbanjwa, plucking him from obscurity, far from top-flight football. Lungu explained to FARPost how his decision to conduct a quick one-week trial during the AFCON break was their turning point in the face of a crisis.
Against all odds, they survived relegation, but their future in the DStv Premiership still hangs in the balance.
“Coach Musa handled everything like a seasoned campaigner. We went the old way. I said we should call a trial. It’s unheard of for a PSL team to call for an open trial,” Lungu told FARPost.
“But we did that, and we unearthed some of the most talented players that you could think of. And they went on to play. Some of them had never played PSL football.
“In a way, it taught us that we might be lazy but there are plenty of players out there. So it was that combination of collectiveness and making sure that we kept the spirit as we faced that task.
“That time, we were coach-less, and players were running away. As the manager, seeing that we had about 15 players moving out, AFCON was just around the corner, and there were issues being settled.
“There were issues with coach Steve. Then I said, ‘Guys, I am going to arrange trials because if I wait, we are not going anywhere’.
“The trials took about a week. Some of the players, I sent them to train with the DDC team because during AFCON they were training.
THE ONE-WEEK TRIAL STINT THAT UNEARTHED MBANJWA
Lungu added: “So I instructed the DDC coaches to be eyes of the senior team, who were on a break with issues. I remember that is how we realised Lwanda Mbanjwa. He came out of those sorts of trials.
“He played SAB [fourth-tier league] football last season, and he played PSL football in the second round of the season, and he got two goals for us. I mean the second round is fireworks, everyone is vying for points. But Moroka Swallows held their own with these unknown entities.
“So some of the players were kept in the DDC so that we wouldn’t have a crisis when the senior team returned. I had to do that because people were busy with other issues.
“So that is how we got those players. Even the coaches can’t believe that boy [Lwanda Mbanjwa] was in lower leagues. And they even asked me, how did I get the boy? I just allowed the players onto our training, and the coaches saw him. They liked him.
“Even this boy Augustine Mahlonoko came for the trials after being released by La Masia. He came and showed us what he can offer and he was signed.”
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