Bantu, Metropolitan relaunch partnership

As 10-year sponsorship package gets facelift

NTHAKO MAJORO

MASERU – Defending Vodacom Premier League champions Bantu Football Club and Metropolitan Lesotho on Wednesday renewed their sponsorship deal with the restoration of the Bantu Funeral Plan. The partnership between Bantu and Metropolitan was struck over 10 year ago starting as a kit sponsorship arrangement, according to the Metropolitan Lesotho Head of Life Business, Seenyane Nthejane.

Nthejane said during their journey management of the two institutions resolved to review the partnership. “This has been a lengthy relationship since initial launch some 10 years ago, and in these 10 years Metropolitan Lesotho and Bantu had an agreement that ended on only kit sponsorship,” said Nthejane. “But after some years these two partners decided to include in the sponsorship package a new product called Bantu Funeral Plan, meaning this is a re-introduction of the funeral scheme.

What has happened is that we decided to review our partnership in 2019 after realisation that though this product was very good, it seemed to be benefitting only us as Metropolitan.” Nthejane said the partnership review was made in order that there would also be financial benefit.

He said now when Bantu fans pay their monthly premiums towards the scheme there will be certain amount of money that goes to the club, “that amount deducted for the club will be M5 from each member’s funeral plan each month.” Nthejane said the partnership was not meant to terminate the agreement which Metropolitan and the club already had, but to instead bring a sustainable benefit for the club.

“I think this is how the corporates should meet our clubs halfway to build a sustainable model with a win-win situation for both the themselves and the clubs,” Nthejane said. “So we are very excited with the new journey we are beginning.” Speaking at the occasion Bantu president, Leuta John Leuta, said his club was very grateful with the Metropolitan partnership.

Leuta said what made them very grateful was the fact that when they started the partnership they agreed with the Metropolitan management of the time to grow together. “We started this partnership with the very same amount of money, but among the many other things which we agreed on was to grow together; and I am thankful to see this relationship continue,” Leuta said.

Leuta emphasised that Bantu has also grown throughout this time and is now a big brand, ambitious and with big plans. He said one of their ambitions is to do well in the CAF Champions League after they dominated the domestic league for years now. Leuta further said: “What we need most in football is money and your followers should be able to be in a position to support you with their money, and they need to know is how they are going to benefit. That is reason we came up with this product together with Metropolitan, it is an important partner that we took a long time to review and agree on its continuation in this new form.”    Bantu and Metropolitan still have their kit sponsorship deal worth M2.1 million in place on top of this new arrangement.