Richards Bay chairman Sifiso Biyela has strongly refuted rumors that the club’s players have not received their salaries for April and May.

Biyela admitted that individuals within the African National Congress (ANC) in the KwaZulu-Natal region are attempting to destabilize the club, seeing this as an opportune moment to tarnish its reputation.

“Who has not been paid by Richards Bay?” Biyela questioned when speaking to Sportswire. “I can allow you to speak to any of my players, and I can assure you they were all paid. The point I’m trying to make is that these are baseless claims.”

He further added, “These people who write all this nonsense on Facebook, I call them ‘ghosts.’ There are individuals getting involved in politics, and they are becoming too personal. There is no unrest within Richards Bay.”

The rumors of unpaid salaries emerge at a time when the club is celebrating a historic achievement, having finished in the top eight last season for the first time ever. This remarkable turnaround comes after Richards Bay was once at the bottom of the Betway Premiership table.

Coaches Ronnie Gabriel, Siboniso Gumede, and Papi Zothwane are credited with transforming the team’s fortunes by the end of the season.

“Exactly my point, because we had a good season,” added Biyela. “So, these are just baseless talks.”

Having secured a top-eight finish, Richards Bay recently confirmed that all three coaches will remain with the club for the upcoming season, rewarding them for their excellent work last term.

This time last season, the Natal Rich Boys were embroiled in the PSL relegation and promotional playoffs, but they successfully won them to retain their PSL status.

As a result of their eighth-place finish in the Betway Premiership, the KwaZulu-Natal club will face Mamelodi Sundowns in the MTN8 quarter-final away next season.