Lesotho international Tumelo Khutlang describes his Swallows stint as nightmarish, saying he last got paid in February, writes Tlalane Phahla.
When the 26-year-old joined Swallows from Black Leopards in August 2021, it was a dream come true.
UNEXPLAINED ABSENCE
But that dream quickly turned into a nightmare, just months into his two-year deal.
It all made sense at the time of joining Swallows as he had previously worked with Dylan Kerr at Leopards. He missed the club’s first 10 games of the season. He was on the bench on the 11th game but never got a chance to play.
The left-footed attacking midfielder went on to miss six games after. His unexplained absence from the team was a combination of the coach’s selection and his unavailability due to injuries.
His last appearance was in December last year for 37 minutes in a 1-0 defeat against Marumo Gallants.
Khutlang has since told FARPost that during this time, he struggled to get his full wages from the club.
At times, he would get paid half, and the other half would be paid the following month. Khutlang claims the last time he was paid was in February this year.
PAID HALF WAGES
“The last time Swallows paid me was in February. I was paid half wages, and the other half was paid in April. That means I never received my March wages,” he told FARPost.
“I never skipped training, I was training every day, and I was not getting paid. I’d see other players being able to pick up a phone, call the chairman, and get their money. I thought maybe I should do the same,” he explained.
“I called him, and what I got was, ‘we are not even winning’. I was surprised; what has that got to do with my contract and payment? Why am I getting this while others get their money? It wasn’t a good call, and he dropped it, but he got the message.”
At this point, his representatives were already involved in finding a solution and getting the club to pay him.
