Historical background

Moroka Swallows ‘The Beautiful Birds’ are a team whose roots lies deep in the heart of Johannesburg’s black township of Soweto. In 1947 three local men, Ishmael Lesolang, Strike Makgatha and Johnny Kubheka.formed a team selected for the most talented young players they could find playing in the numerous street games. In the early years the boys played challenge matches on any free patch of waste ground, and despite the amateur they were already attracting large crowds of supporters.

As the boys grew older many went to work for a local factory, which provided them with their first boots and the team had a duel existence, playing as the factory team Congregated Rovers on Saturday and as Swallows on Sunday.

They were now able to arrange games against established clubs and in 1955 beat the Durban Bush Bucks, at the time probably South Africa’s strongest club. The following year they scored a 6-5 victory over Orlando Pirates, who were already playing league football.

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1958 -1971

The fifties were noted for the great rivalry between Swallows and Pirates. Swallows were particularly popular with Johannesburg’s migrant workers and at least part of their success might have been due to officials and opposing players feeling intimidated by the gangs that attend their matches. Joe ‘Carlton’ Moli was the outstanding player of this generation and the prolific striker had a spell with Cardiff City in England.

If the fifties are remembered with nostalgia, then the sixties were a traumatic time, marked by internal arguments, declining fiancés and increasingly violence within the Soweto community. Despite all the problems the period produced some classic games and any clash between Swallows and Pirates could still be expected to draw vast crowds. It also produced Swallow’s one league title, the club winning the ‘coloured’ SASL championship in 1965. 

In 1971 Swallows became a public company and acquired their first official sponsor. The decade produced some great players and brought further success in cup competitions but there was seldom any spare money and many players of this generation were to fall into poverty in later years.

1980-1999

The eighties were the last amateur days in South African soccer, with all clubs struggling for money. Swallow still managed to produce some exciting teams, full of gifted players, but the only reward in the way of silverware was a cup win in 1983. This was followed by a bitter debate over which league to play in and a group of players and officials broke away to form a new team, The Mighty Birds.  In April 1985 one of the breakaway players Aaron ‘Roadblock’ Makhathini was shot and killed.

On a positive note Chilean Mario ‘The Godfather’ Tuani, was a popular coach, Thomas Hlongwane became the club’s all time top goal scorer and Andries Mpondo set the record for appearances in the Swallows colours.

The early nineties saw Swallows enjoy cup wins in the 1991 Bob Save Super Bowl and the 1992 Charity Shield. This was followed by a serious challenge for the 1993 league title, with Swallow being edged into second place by Mamelodi Sundowns. A great star of this generation was Jospeh Rapelego who played in the Swallows midfield for most of decade.

By then white rule had come to a dramatic end and Swallow’s second place finish gained them entry to the CAF Cup, where they beat Yanga of Tanzania before going out in the second round. 

Over the next few years Swallows seemed to be in decline, with their supporters tending to be older fans, drawn by the nostalgia of the past.

2000-

 The new century brought a revival of the team’s fortunes under coach Gavin Hunt and in 2004 the goals of Zambian striker Denis Lota helped Swallows to a Cup victory. They had several top four finishes, including third place in 2007. Another Zambian striker, James Chamanga, led the attack that season and is remembered for hitting 5 goals in a game against Platinum.

Marketing, trainings and coaching all become more professional and Swallows celebrated their 60th anniversary in a healthy position. Work for the World Cup included renovating the old Dobsonville Stadium which provided Swallows with a modern 24,000 capacity stadium in the very heart of Soweto.

In 2009 they recorded a second cup win. A series of shock results in the second round saw the elimination of Sundowns, Chiefs and Pirates, leaving Swallows a relatively easy passage to the final, where they beat National First Division side Pretoria University 1-0.