Johannesburg - Former AmaZulu marketing guru Phumlani Dube has opened up about the apparent toxic environment he found himself in leading up to his dismissal from the club.
At the time of his dismissal in December, Dube was said to be facing serious allegations of gender-based violence (GBV).
He was accused of assaulting a club employee on duty at the FNB Stadium on December 12.
Dube, who has taken the AmaZulu to the CCMA for what he deems an unfair dismissal, called an emergency press conference with various publications on Wednesday afternoon, looking to “tell his side of the story” that led to his departure from the club in November last year.
The Umlazi-born Dube also disclosed his long and precious relationship with club president Sandile Zungu, his dysfunctional working relationship with chief executive Sinenjabulo Zungu and the club's fans.
“Me and the president go way back, way before we were involved with AmaZulu and after he acquired the club, he appointed me as one of his most trusted soldiers in the position he placed me and we planned and did great things for the club like growing the fan base and ensuring they qualified for the CAF Champions League,” he explained.
“In the second year, He (Zungu) took a step back and appointed his daughter (Sinenjabulo Zungu) as the club’s CEO and that's when things turned for the worse.”
“Whenever I did things in the way that we had agreed to do them with Zungu in our planning and strategising, the daughter would intervene and go a different direction and when I expressed that Zungu had agreed, she would tell me to forget about her father because she's there now and that's when the conditions soured.”
Dube also detailed how a section of the club's fans sent him insults and threatened him in the hope that he would depart the Usuthu.
“I attempted to stop the bad habits of Usuthu supporters of always resorting to swearing when dealing with matters and I was sworn at every time I rose to this point.
“I even requested that I get protection because one particular fan sent me messages that had threats within them and even though I wasn't scared, I know there's a bullet with my name written on it.”
AmaZulu president Zungu did not divulge much information about the ongoing legal issues surrounding Dube, but said his long-time friend “was in desperate need of help”.
“We are currently in the process of resolving that matter with the CCMA, a process which he started,” Zungu told the media.
“The only thing I can say about Phumlani is the fact that he needs help, he needs serious help. There are a few people who are in good mental health, who would do the things he does and the way he does them.”
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