Elasto Kapowezha has been with Moroka Swallows (formerly Swallows FC) for five years now and has played many roles behind the scenes that some may not be aware of. He has proven to be a man that the club trusts to fulfil certain responsibilities and he has never been afraid to raise his hand when the Dube Birds need him the most. He was, however, at the centre of some controversy a couple of months ago when former Swallows coach Steve Komphela came out publicly to call him out for the delayed registration of Burkinabe midfielder Roland Sanou, who was eventually registered for the second half of the campaign, after the departure of the experienced coach. In this interview with Soccer Laduma’s Tshepang Mailwane, Kapowezha gives details into his title and role at the club, while talking about how he is able to convince players to join the club, despite the negative media coverage that sometimes surrounds the club.
Tshepang Mailwane: Hello Elasto, thank you for making yourself available for this interview. A lot was said recently about you and your role at Moroka Swallows, following the exit of Steve Komphela a few months ago. Please give us details about what your role at Swallows is…
Elasto Kapowezha: How can I put this? It’s very broad when looking at what one does and where it all started. It might require me to go back, where I started at the club as a team manager in 2019. A team manager is someone who would form part of the supporting staff to the technical team and players. You are there to make sure that all the logistics are in place. You make sure things are in place when there is training, match preparation, travelling…all that fall within the duties and responsibilities of a team manager. So, that’s the basic team manager’s role, to make sure you are there to provide and support the technical team and the players’ needs, whether it’s matches or training. You make sure they are taken care of. I always say that when you are a team manager, you are at the coach’s mercy. For me, things did change over a period of time.