Ex-Amawele coach: UNICEF mental workshop aided recovery

MBABANE – Sacked after just 90 minutes in charge, former Amawele mentor Mphumelelo ‘Mapho’ Ngwenya credits a collaborative mental health workshop for aiding his recovery.

The coach endured a whirlwind departure during his tenure at the helm of the MTN Premier League side. Rather than letting the setback derail him, he has expressed profound gratitude for a recent mental health workshop organised by UNICEF, the Eswatini Football Association (EFA) and the Ministry of Health.

The collaborative initiative, which brought together clubs Public Relations Officers (PROs), football administrators and sports journalists to address mental well-being in the sporting fraternity, provided him with crucial coping mechanisms.

“I am the coach who made headlines of being fired after 90 minutes, I needed the course,” Ngwenya said.

The former Ludzeludze Killers gaffer made headlines after he was shown the exit door by Amawele Director Chief Ally Kgomongwe. This followed Amawele’s 3-0 defeat to Ezulwini United in their opening 2026/27 MTN Premier League fixture, played in the Lubombo Region of Eswatini at KaLanga Technical Centre.

Ngwenya thanked UNICEF, the EFA, and the Ministry of Health for organising the workshop while speaking on behalf of the football coaches who attended the session held at the United Nations offices on Wednesday, October 7, 2026.

The high-pressure environment of top-flight football in Eswatini often places immense scrutiny on technical teams, where patience from club hierarchies can be notably short. Programmes involving stakeholders like UNICEF, the EFA, and the Ministry of Health have increasingly stepped in to advocate for psychological support systems, helping managers, officials, and players navigate the cutthroat nature of competitive sport.

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