Moorosi Tsiane
Metropolitan Lesotho unveiled a three-year M800 000 sponsorship for Premier League champions, Bantu, on Tuesday this week.
The unveiling ceremony took place at the Mafeteng Golden Hotel, and was attended by scores of well-wishers, local politicians as well as stakeholders.
Speaking during the glittering ceremony, Metropolitan Lesotho Managing Director, Nkau Matete, said the sponsorship would run for the next three years.
“We have been in this partnership for about three years with Bantu and we have extended the sponsorship by a further three years, and will run until 2016,” Matete said.
The sponsorship, which includes a home and away playing kit, golf shirts, shorts, training shoes, soccer boots, tracksuits, winter jackets, kitbags, soccer-balls and bibs, showed Metropolitan’s appreciation of the way Bantu have continued to improve their playing standards and administration, Matete added.
“The good work that this team has been doing is one of the reasons we have decided to extend this partnership. Their performance has been growing rapidly each year.
“Sport, these days, has become big business and investing in a team is also a business. Bantu have a very huge support base and that is our core reason for investing in them,” said Matete.
On his part, Bantu vice-president, Hlalele Letšaba, thanked Metropolitan for the sponsorship.
“I don’t have much to say today, but I just want to pass my gratitude of thanks to Metropolitan for this sponsorship.
“Metropolitan has shown the way and I just wish other big companies in the country can just follow in their footsteps, for our football to grow,” Letšaba said.
Letšaba further said the sponsorship had come at the right time when the team was preparing to take part in the 2015 Africa Champions League.
Meanwhile, Tuesday’s event was also graced by members of parliament from Mafeteng, Likhoele and Thabana Morena constituencies, namely Temeki Tšolo, Khotso Letsatsi and Selibe Mochoboroane, respectively.
The Mafeteng District Administrator, Kenneth Fosa, also graced the ceremony.
In his speech, Mochoboroane, who is also the Minister of Communications, Science and Technology, hailed both Bantu and Metropolitan for the good working relationship they have established.
He said Bantu is the only one thing that gets the Mafeteng community together regardless of their different political parties and the ongoing Famo gangs in the district.
“This is a good initiative, and it makes us proud, as the Mafeteng community. Bantu have managed to make us proud over the years, regardless of our different political interests in the district.
“I would like to thank the team’s executive for managing to put together a team of this caliber, which we are proud of as Makaota.”
