Former Zimbabwean international Alois Bunjira has shared an interesting story about how he signed for Mamelodi Sundowns before even meeting anyone at the club.
Soccer Laduma got in touch with the retired star to talk about his short stint with the Tshwane giants, which he enjoyed thoroughly.
The years
I signed for Sundowns in 2002/03. I was there for just over a season. I left about three games into the 2003/04 season. I left just before the transfer window closed because of issues with the work permit. I asked to be excused. But I had a fantastic time at the club. It was a dream come true for me as someone who grew up supporting Sundowns. We used to get the magazines from South Africa and we followed a lot of South African football. When we had guys like Alexander Maseko coming from Zimbabwe to Sundowns, it was an exciting time for us. We were still young. There was also Nelson Bandura. I was with Nelson Bandura in the national team back then and I was still young, when he moved to Sundowns. So, naturally I started following them. So, it was a dream come true. The management loved me a lot and my teammates welcomed me well. But I was always rotated. I never played in a fixed position. There was a time when I was playing as a number 10, as a right midfielder and as a right wing back. Sometimes I was playing in central midfield. I think I was second top goal scorer in the team that season. I scored some good goals that season.
How the move happened
It was organised by Mike Makaab. My contract at Wits had expired, so they said I was going to sign a new contract on my return from home holiday. The day before I left for Zimbabwe for the holidays, Mike Makaab called me and asked me to meet him at Holiday Inn in Milpark. He brought the contract. The contract was already drafted. I don't know how they did it. I think they had been talking long before he called me. He called me and told me that he has a big deal for me that's going to change my life. I didn't know what he was talking about, but I was curious and I went to meet him at the hotel. The contract was signed by Sundowns and it just needed my signature. He knew I was about to go home (to Zimbabwe), so he wanted to make sure that we finish before I went home. I signed the contract before meeting anyone from Sundowns.
The rands and cents
I don't want to speak about the figures, but it was a big jump from what I was getting at Wits. It was like three times what I was earning at Wits. It was life changing. The signing on fee was huge as well. At Wits that time, we were getting small amounts for signing on fees, so it was a big jump when I went to Sundowns. So, Mike was right when he said it was something that would change my life.
The make up of the team
We had John Tlale, Ronnie Kanalelo. We had Dan Semake, Charles Mohlohi, Isaac Shai, Michael Manzini, Daniel Mudau, Simba Marumo, Godfrey Sapula, Sipho Nunens, Alex Bapela, Mohale Naruseb and Ishmael Maluleke. I arrived at the same time with Ishmael. We had the striker from Mozambique (Vithinho Dos Santos) and I joined at the same time with Sashi Chalwe. Siaka Tiene came at the beginning of the following season.
My first day at Sundowns
I got to Chloorkop and I was told that we were going to camp. So, the first time I met everyone was in the team bus to Durban for pre-season camp.
My debut
I scored on my debut against Jomo Cosmos in the top eight quarterfinals. I equalized and we went all the way to the final. It's always great scoring on your debut. I was not supposed to start the game. I was on the bench and then Dan Semake pulled his muscle in the warm up and I was thrown in. I scored the equalizer. We went into extra-time and I think Isaac Shai scored the winner.
The best player I played with at Sundowns
Those guys were good. Daniel Mudau was at the twilight of his career, but he was still super sharp. He was in and out of the team, but I thought he was brilliant. I thought Isaac Shai was brilliant. Sashi Chalwe was a pillar. It was rare to find a defender who could use both feet equally. Those are the players, but we had a lot of quality in the team.
Most memorable moment
It was when we played Wits. it was my first game in the league and it was at Milpark. We won 2-0 and I scored the second goal. I was brilliant that day. I was playing as a midfielder at first, then they pulled off a striker and I ended up playing upfront. I scored with a brilliant diving header. Carlo Scott was the one who crossed the ball and I smashed it with a powerful diving header.
Lowest moment
It's when I had to leave. I did not want to leave. It came as a shock when I realised I was not registered. They explained things to me, but I could not afford to go for a long time without playing. There was an issue with the permanent residency. It was overwhelming for me. I think there was a communication break down when they did not tell me that I would not be registered while I was waiting for my permanent residency. So, when we played our first game against Chiefs, I thought I was just dropped. But then I realised that, in that particular game, there were already five foreigners in the team. That's the maximum a team can register. That's when I realised I was not registered. I went to the office to enquire and it did not go down well with me. I requested to move, but it was not easy. They also did not want me to leave.
