Mzolisto, your stories are for the ages, brother. So much so that it feels like a week is such a long time, having to wait to hear what more you have, ha, ha, ha. Without wasting any time, let's get the fourth episode started!
Ha, ha, ha. While I was at Manning Rangers, we once went to Morocco to go play against Raja Casablanca. We flew to Morocco, and when I got into my room, I was pleasantly surprised to find the fridge full. This was around 1997. It was my first time flying and going to a top hotel. They had beverages and nice things in there. I drank those things and then they filled up the fridge the following day. I was enjoying myself for the whole week. After the game, on the Saturday, the players were sitting by the pool having some beers. I went there and they gave me some. I didn't know that these guys were sending the bill to the room of the chairman, Kaycee Reddy.
Eish!
So, when we were leaving on Monday, the people at the reception were checking all the accounts and they saw that I had been having all the drinks in the fridge. Remember, I didn't know about these things, so I was asking, "What's happening?" They said I needed to pay for the drinks I had in my room, and I told them I didn't know these were meant to be paid for! Worst of all, the chairman came down and he noticed that the players had billed the beers to his room. I'm telling you, he went mental!
So, how did you manage to sort out the situation?
The chairman had to pay. The club settled the bill because I didn't know, let alone the fact that I didn't have the money to pay to start with. That's why the chairman was so angry with everyone. He was angry with the players who ordered drinks from the pool and sent the bill to his room. He was mad and we were leaving that morning.
The chairman had no choice but to pay or else, ha, ha, ha. We know of one chairman who, recently, didn't pay and two of his club's officials had to stay behind in North Africa until the payment was settled. Go on…
Mina (I) could not afford it because besithola (we were getting) $10 to travel as an allowance. It was nothing. Maybe you would be able to buy a cold drink in the streets of Casablanca or Marrakech because we also went to Marrakech. So, there was no way I was going to afford a whole week of the beverages that I had in my room.
Well, they say Christmas comes once a year, and there was no way you were going to leave those cold refreshments to their own devices inside that refrigerator.
When I was at Santos, around 1998/99, we used to cash salaries. So, we used to go to the office at Athlone and there were stairs going up to where we would collect the salaries. That's where the players got their salaries because I would mostly be at the office. Mark Anderson, the goalkeeper and legend, would often be absent from training. So, he would go collect his money and Afzal Khan, the manager, would give him his money. When they gave him his salary, he would go down the stairs and start counting it. When he got to the bottom of the stairs, he would turn back upon realizing that he had not been paid in full. Obviously, he had been fined for those days he had not come to training. By the time he got back up the stairs, the guys would have already locked themselves in the office, ha, ha, ha. Eish, tough times, man.
Ha, ha, ha, so they obviously knew he was going to make a U-turn. Who would blame them though, Anderson was and still is a big bloke – the last person you would want to mess around with. So, what would he do when he found that the office was locked?
He would knock there and they would end up opening, and then he would say, "Guys, what's happening? Why was my money deducted?" They had to explain to him that it was because of the days he did not attend sessions. So, they would count the days and tell him how much they deducted, ha, ha.
Do you know why he would skip training now and again?
I have no idea hey, ha, ha, ha.
We'll ask him. Let's move on…
There was a guy named Lawrence Ngubane – he was at Rangers when I was there.
Yes, "Big Bear" as he was affectionately known… we remember him. May his soul rest in peace.
There was a Yugoslavian coach who came there named Zoran Pesic, who had come from Ria Stars. I think he was still negotiating for his payment from Ria Stars when he joined Rangers, via Ngubane and (Sello) "Chicco" Twala, who was a manager at Ria Stars. Zoran didn't understand English well. So, Ngubane was speaking to Chicco, they were speaking in IsiZulu and Zoran was standing there. So, Ngubane would keep going back to Zoran to tell him what they were saying at Ria Stars. During the last part of the negotiations, they were talking and Ngubane said, "Coach, Chicco said he can only give you R30 000." Then Zoran was like, "Come on, wabalashabalala R30 000." Ha, ha, ha! He was trying to speak IsiZulu and no one knew what he was trying to say.
At least no one could fault him for trying!
The only thing we could pick up from what he was saying was 'R30 000'. He was angry, ha, ha, ha. Yeah, it's tough, man. There are quite a number of stories, ha, ha, ha.
We like the sound of that, so let's park it there for this week. The trip down memory lane continues, 'same time, same place' next week because one thing's for sure, our readers are having the time of their lives with these wonderful stories. Take care, till next week, Mzolisto!
Ha, ha, ha. Thank you. I look forward to it again next week.
IN TOUCH FUN FACTS
Nickname: Mzolisto
Marital status: Married to Portia
Car: Toyota Corolla Professional and Toyota Tazz
Boots: Puma
Favourite TV programme: The River
Favourite food: SA traditional food
Facebook or Twitter: Both
Siyagobhoza or interviews: Interviews
Favourite footballer: Zinedine Zidane
Favourite celebrity: Pep Guardiola
