Actor Wiseman Mncube will never forget the day Jabu Mahlangu destroyed Jomo Cosmos in the Coca-Cola Cup final in 2001, but he's had little to celebrate over the last few years with Amakhosi struggling season in and season out.
Soccer Laduma spoke to Mncube to find out how he became an Amakhosi supporter and how difficult it's been for him over the last few years, especially because he has friends who support Orlando Pirates.
How are you feeling after Chiefs parted ways with Molefi Ntseki as head coach?
I feel like it's not a good thing because they did not give him time to showcase himself and, at the same time, we do have that problem at Chiefs where we have coaches coming in and going, where they don't give them enough time. I remember when Pitso Mosimane first joined Sundowns, there was a time when the supporters were against him. But with the time that they gave him, he was able to prove himself and build a structure that worked. You can't build a structure in a few games and think you will win. It takes time. Players need to gel and learn to play with each other. If you sign new players, they need to gel with the old players. I am talking as a supporter, but I feel that with time, the results would have come in. I feel they should have given him more time.
Chiefs are looking for a coach while Cavin Johnson serves as interim, so do you think they should go for someone local or foreign?
I always feel that we should believe in our local coaches because they know the style of football that we play as South Africans. Sometimes, when you bring in someone from outside, they come with their own style and it clashes, but there are others who do well. I just think that we should believe in our own coaches and grow them.
What were your hopes for Chiefs coming into this season, especially after they went into the market to bring in quite a number of new faces?
I was hoping for the best. They have some good players. They have players who can run and who can play well, but I don't know what's wrong. It's always the same thing. We do have players, but I don't know what's happening at Kaizer Chiefs. When I chat with my friends, I say that this thing is deeper than what we know. I feel that there is something deeper happening because the coaches keep coming and going and it's always the same thing. That shows that the problem is not the coach. When they go to other teams, like Gavin Hunt, they do well. So, it shows the problem is not the coach. There is a problem inside. Whenever the management thinks about making changes, they should think about us because we take it harder as supporters. We take more of the pain because we fight amongst ourselves and we can't go to work because we are going to be laughed at and sometimes it gets personal. So, with these eight years without a trophy, they need to do something. Just now we got knocked out of the cup (Carling Knockout) by AmaZulu.
Do you have friends who support your rivals Orlando Pirates?
I have a lot of friends who support Pirates. I am a laughing stock. I can't say anything when we speak about football because they will tell me to keep quiet because Chiefs are not doing well. It's just one of those things where we tease each other.
When and how did you start supporting Chiefs?
I was still very young. How? I have a close uncle who I loved dearly. He was my favourite uncle and he was a Kaizer Chiefs fan. That's how I got to support Chiefs. He used to talk about Chiefs and he used to praise them. I looked up to him, so that's how I became a Chiefs supporter.
What early memories do you have as a Chiefs supporter?
There was a day when we played Jomo Cosmos in the Coca Cola Cup final and we thrashed them 5-0 and Jabu Pule (now Mahlangu) was scoring. We had Stanton Fredericks. We were killing them. I remember that game so well. I will never forget it. Jabu Pule stood out in that game with his blonde patches on his head.
Who is your all-time favourite Kaizer Chiefs player?
It's Tinashe Nengomasha - the General. He could control the game. With him in the midfield, you knew that nothing would get past. He had the leadership qualities.
Who is your favourite player in the current Chiefs squad?
I'd say Keagan Dolly. When he is on the field, you can see that he is there. There's Ashley du Preez who is also a good player.
