After being released by Orlando Pirates with one year of his contract remaining, Wayde Jooste was one of the players signed by the then Maritzburg United coach, Fadlu Davids, with the hope of helping the Midlands outfit move up from the bottom of the 2022/23 log standings and survive relegation. It was not to be! It was always going to be tough for the club to keep some of their best players, especially taking into account the wage bill as well as quality of players at their disposal. One such example is Jooste, who was quickly snapped up by AmaZulu FC. In this interview with Soccer Laduma's Walter Mabeba, the Gqeberha-born marauding fullback talks about relegation being added to his football CV, leaving Buccaneers after winning a trophy with them, and why Usuthu will be a surprise package this season under Spaniard Pablo Franco Martin.
Walter Mabeba. Wayde, you celebrated your wedding anniversary not so long ago. Congratulations, and may God keep on blessing that union.
Wayde Jooste: Thanks very much, my grootman (big man). Much appreciated.
WM: From relegated Maritzburg United to ambitious AmaZulu FC – what's the feeling like?
WJ: It is a great feeling, considering that AmaZulu is one of the greatest teams and the oldest in KZN and in the PSL.
WM: So, how did it happen that you joined Usuthu?
WJ: I was called by the (Maritzburg) team manager, who informed me that the club doesn't see me as a Motsepe Foundation (Championship) player and that the club wouldn't afford my package and that I was free to join another team. We had a mutual agreement, and that is how I joined AmaZulu. These things happen in football. I have a new team and I am very happy to be part of AmaZulu.
WM: You are, of course, playing under a Spanish coach, in Pablo Franco Martin. What have you identified as qualities that differentiate him from some of the coaches you've worked with in the past?
WJ: I must say he is a very experienced coach. He knows what he wants from his players, always looking for commitment from us. In football, one never stops learning and since I started working with him, I have accumulated a lot of knowledge about the game and my position. It will be unfair for me to say he is better than the coaches I worked with in the past. Like all the coaches, he is very demanding and likes players who are working hard. With the kind of players we have in the team, and working with him, I think we will be able to compete this season. It is still early, and I think under his tutelage we are going to be a surprise package this season. Looking at our training sessions, I think we are on the right track and only have to take it one game at a time and be able to compete with other teams. We just have to start winning games.
WM: Interesting you say you are going to be a surprise package this season because so far, you guys have played five league games, managing four clean sheets, but scoring just one goal.
WJ: Yes. We play as a team and I don't think our attacking players should be blamed. Yes, we have been working on finishing at training, and unfortunately goals have not been coming. Having said that, I have a feeling the goals will come.
WM: Talking about winning games, you have the well-travelled former Mamelodi Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs captain, Ramahlwe Mphahlele, in the heart of your defence. How does his experience come handy for the team?
WJ: His experience is very important to the team, not only on the footballing side but off the field as well. He is such a humble person and it is very important to have a player of his calibre in the team. His leadership qualities help a lot in the team. I hold him in very high esteem because he leads by example.
WM: Before you joined the Team of Choice, you had one year remaining on your contract at Orlando Pirates. How disappointed were you when the deal was terminated? And did you maybe feel that you underachieved at the Soweto giants?
WJ: Yes, it was a big shock, but I won't say I underachieved. I mean, when I joined Pirates, the team had not won silverware in six years, and in a few months' time I was part of the team that ended the drought by winning the 2020 MTN8. But like any other footballer, I wanted to achieve things with Pirates, and to get the news that I would be leaving came as a shock. However, I just had to move on and be positive. Winning the MTN8 will always be something I will cherish. I remember before the game (the final against Bloemfontein Celtic), Deon Hotto spoke to me and said, "Do you realise that we are part of Orlando Pirates' history?" I feel honoured to have been part of the group of players who broke the drought, and I won't say I failed at Pirates.
WM: It's probably a lot of young footballers' dream to don the Buccaneers' jersey, but it obviously comes with pressure. Did you ever find the pressure too much for you?
WJ: It is not only about Orlando Pirates. For me, there is always pressure playing in the pro ranks. But at Pirates, you are expected to win all the time because when playing against the so-called smaller clubs, they always want to prove a point because their players also want to play in that jersey that you are wearing. Even myself, before I joined Pirates, when I played against them I always wanted to perform. Even when we played friendly games, it has always been tough because the opposition players wanted to prove themselves. Having said that, I enjoyed all the challenges I faced at Pirates.
WM: In your last season at the club, during the co-coaching spell of Mandla Ncikazi and Fadlu Davids, you only played seven games. However, after Davids moved to Maritzburg, he signed you as one of the experienced players to come and help the club survive relegation. Didn't you find this baffling?
WJ: Honestly speaking, I don't know what the problem was because they (Ncikazi and Davids) were working together and I always gave my all at training. You know, in football, sometimes things go right, and vice versa. I was happy when I signed for Maritzburg after six months without a club.
WM: Unfortunately, relegation to the Motsepe Foundation Championship happened at the end of last season…
WJ: Obviously, it wasn't a good experience. It is an experience that no player, official, supporter, etc., would like to see happening to his club. It is a sad feeling that being relegated with Maritzburg United will always be on my CV. Even today I don't believe that we got relegated. I mean, the players that we had… it is unbelievable. After we got relegated, most of us were signed by other clubs, meaning that we are PSL material, but God knows I never wanted to play or be part of a club that becomes relegated.
WM: Following the side's drop to the second tier of South African football, Chairman Farouk Kadodia issued a strong-worded statement, saying he 'felt betrayed' by a few individuals whose questionable concessions of goals during critical stages of games. In essence, he took a swipe at players and the coach!
WJ: Honestly speaking, I don't have much to say about that. I read the statements he made on the publications and I understand how upset he was. Yes, he had the right to be upset about what happened. All I can say is that I did my best for the team in each and every game I played.
WM: How would you summarize your football career progress since you turned professional with Highlands Park?
WJ: AmaZulu is my fifth professional club, and I don't think one can be completely happy with how things turned out because I always wanted to do and achieve more. But I am happy with myself because this is my 11th season in the professional ranks, unlike other players who didn't last. It is very tough for some players to stay consistently in the pro ranks.
WM: Like in the past seasons, Mamelodi Sundowns are dominating the PSL, having won all six of their opening 2023/24 campaign fixtures…
WJ: I think teams can stop Sundowns if they believe that they can. There were teams that were able to take points away from Sundowns last season, and I don't believe they are invincible. Yes, they have a very big squad and quality players in their arsenal, but I think teams should know how to play against Sundowns. As a team, we have to plan properly. We just have to know how to play against Sundowns. Having said that, they have a good team, a very good foundation that they have laid for years now and one cannot dispute that.
WM: Wayde thanks very much for the interview, and we at Soccer Laduma wishes you and your club all the best for the remainder of the 2023/24 DStv Premiership campaign.
WM: Thank you very much, grootman (big man).
WAYDE JOOSTE FACT FILE
Full name: Wayde Russel Jooste
Date of birth: 27 September 1991
Place of birth: Gqeberha, Eastern Cape
Nickname: Weymar
Jersey number: 26
Position: Defender
Club: AmaZulu FC
Previous clubs: Bloemfontein Celtic, Golden Arrows, Highlands Park, Orlando Pirates
Honours: 2020 MTN8 winner (with Pirates), 1 Bafana Bafana cap
