Before joining Orlando Pirates, Bongani Cashibe had never experienced the feeling of getting a signing on fee.
Soccer Laduma tracked him down to talk about his time with the Buccaneers and how he was able to use the money there to acquire assets that he can still point at today.
The years
I joined Pirates at the end of 2006. I signed for Pirates in December 2006. My time at Pirates was good. I had good times with the guys and team management and the technical staff. Obviously, it was not easy but I was welcomed well and I got to understand the culture of the team. It also helped because of the manner which I conducted myself. I worked hard and it made life easier for me.
How the move happened
I was at Maritzburg United, but then I left for AmaZulu, who put an offer on the table for my services. The issue was that Maritzburg did not issue my clearance because I was a free agent. They were contesting my move. They did not want me to go, but I knew from the contract that I was done with Maritzburg because my contract with them had ended. Pirates then came on board, but I was training with AmaZulu at the time. I had about four months at AmaZulu. As I was attending the DRC (Dispute Resolution Chamber) at the PSL to sort out the matter of my clearance, Pirates came to the party. I was informed by my agent that Pirates were interested in me. My move to Pirates came after I was declared a free agent by the PSL.
The make up of the team
We had so much quality in that team. It was not only the quality, but the greatness in the players that we had. They were South African favourites, like Lebohang 'Cheeseboy' Mokoena, Gift Leremi, (Joseph) 'Duku Duku' Makhanya, Lucky Lekgwathi, Tonic Chabalala, Lelo Mbelo, Isaac Chansa, Lucas Thwala. These guys were winners for the team. The only difficultly I encountered is that I joined Pirates at a time when I had not played competitive football for a few months. I had to work so hard on my fitness to start getting into the team. I played at the Philly's Games in December just to get my fitness levels up and then in January I was okay. I wanted to play because of the frustration I had from the matter I had to deal with at the PSL. But having guys like Lucky Lekgwathi in the team made it easier for me.
The rands and cents
There was no way I was going to earn less than what I was earning at Maritzburg. I got triple the amount and it was good because I was able to contribute to my family. Also, I got my first signing on fee at Pirates. I did not know signing on fees before that. I got to do stuff for my family. I managed to assist at home, so it was a stress reliever for me. Today, I can point that the things I did with what money, which is good for my life. I have shelter and I sleep well. My mother also sleeps well. So, those are the things I was able to do with the signing on fee and salary.
My first day
My first day was in December and I think the team was meant to fly to Cape Town. They told me that 'Micho' (Milutin Sredojevic) wanted to see me. He was the coach of the club that time. It was about evaluating whether I am fit enough to be included in the matchday squad. After that, I had a training session with the team. It was a great session because we were playing small-sided games. It was a great atmosphere for me because I had a warm welcome. I remember meeting Gift Leremi in the parking lot on my first day because we had known each other from before. It was great.
My debut
I played my first game in Bloemfontein. We were playing against Celtic. It was a great feeling. I think that game ended 1-1.
The best player I played with at Pirates
There are too many. We had the cream of the players there. There was Onyekachi Okonkwo, Teko Modise, Benedict Vilakazi, Gift Leremi, Joseph Makhanya. At times, I was a spectator. You mark for Teko Modise and then he does his thing. Watching the guys playing one-twos was great. If you are marking for such players, then you go all out. Those were the greatest guys I met in my football career. We also had Joseph Kamwendo and Lelo Mbele and this young boy called Thulani Maseko. Maseko was a magician.
Most memorable moment
There was a time when the team was not doing well and then they introduced this thing of having braai's as a team building exercise. This is when Shakes Mashaba was appointed manager of the team and Owen da Gama played a role in introducing that into the team. I think we were number 12 on the log. From there, we went to number two on the log. I do that now because I am a sports coach. Team building is important.
Lowest moment
There was a season when we could have won the league, but we finished second. We were on top at some point, but we could not win the league. We had a great team. Also, we went to quite a few cup finals, but we could not win any of them. That was bad.
Why I left
I was released when my contract ended. But it also went with the injury. I got injured, but I don't have any grudges because players come and go. It's a norm.
