Former PSL defender Cheslyn Jampies has taken a remarkable legal stand against his former club, Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila (TTM), turning a relatively small unpaid wage dispute into a landmark victory that ultimately led to the liquidation of a company linked to the club’s owner .
From R70 000 to Corporate Collapse
Jampies, who served as club captain at TTM, was initially owed just R70 000 in unpaid wages after the club stopped paying him in October 2022 . When management repeatedly ignored his pleas and refused to take his calls, the veteran defender decided to take legal action .
After taking the matter to the National Soccer League’s Dispute Resolution Chamber, Jampies won his case. The ruling, authored by Advocate Fana Nalane SC, ordered TTM to pay him R725 000 after interest and damages were added . When the club still refused to pay, Jampies escalated the matter further .
The Liquidation That Shocked the System
In a move that few expected, Jampies applied to the Johannesburg High Court to liquidate Equator Holdings (Pty) Ltd—the investment company that owned and operated TTM . Records from the National Soccer League showed that the club was not registered as a separate entity but was instead owned by Equator Holdings trading as TTM .
On 7 March 2024, the court granted a final liquidation order against Equator Holdings . No appeal was filed against the ruling .
The Human Toll
The victory came at a devastating personal cost for the 35-year-old footballer. Jampies, who had played professional football for 15 years, told media that he lost nearly everything during his battle for payment .
“My car was repossessed, and I had to sell my bed, fridge, and TV just to get to Cape Town. It was a tough road,” he said . “Every piece of furniture I’ve accumulated over the past 14 years, I had to sell one by one because I didn’t have an income” .
He added: “I lost my cars, I lost my furniture, I lost my bed, I lost my TV, my microwave, every fork, spoon and knife I had to sell” .
Jampies described how he was “ignored, lied to” and how the chairman “wasn’t taking my calls, he just rubs it off” .
The R21.6 Billion Connection
The liquidation of Equator Holdings had consequences far beyond the football pitch. The company was poised to become one of the most significant players in South Africa’s gas industry, having been awarded a contract by PetroSA to finance and refurbish its offshore gas infrastructure in a deal potentially worth R21.6 billion .
PetroSA appears to have been unaware of Equator’s liquidation. When asked if the deal was still going ahead, PetroSA responded “No comment” to all questions . The state-owned entity had given Equator until June 2024 to secure funding for the project—a requirement the company could not meet, having failed to pay even a R725,000 debt .
Where Is He Now?
Jampies, currently without a club, says he is still waiting for his money nearly three years later . His wife now supports the family with her job while he waits for the situation to be resolved .
“This has taken a significant toll on me. I had a promising career in football for 15 years, and Mulaudzi destroyed it in less than six months,” he said .
When asked what lessons he could teach young players, Jampies reflected bitterly: “After what I’ve been through, what can I teach children who want to play football? I can’t teach them to work hard behind the scenes when that hasn’t helped me” .
TTM’s lawyer suggested that Jampies should simply accept his losses because “the club no longer exists” and “there is no money to pay him” . The lawyer added: “Sometimes you must just accept. It’s one of those things” .
But Jampies refused to accept. “I cannot sit back and allow some incompetent people that doesn’t have any remorse to just take it from me,” he said. “I cry, I bleed, I talk football, that is my life” .