As we welcome you back for the penultimate instalment, let's continue rolling back the years, brother. It's interesting to note that you were one of those players who went to ask questions from the coach, as you did with the late Styles Phumo at Bloemfontein Celtic, when you weren't playing and felt you deserved to…
I fought him, I fought him a lot. There were times when I would not greet him because I could not understand why he put me on the bench, but at training, he would make me… You know, there were red bibs and green bibs, and if you were wearing the green bibs, it meant you were going to be part of the starting XI in the weekend's game. So, I would be part of the green bibs at training, but during the game I would be on the bench. At least he would take me with when we went to Cape Town and I was happy because it meant if the team won, I would get a bonus, but that's not what I wanted. I wanted to be inside the field of play. And sometimes the team would lose! I remember there was a time when the team lost three successive games, and I had to ask, "But why am I not playing?" There was a time when Ntate (Petrus) Molemela had to violently hit one of the supporters and it was showed live on TV. We were beaten by SuperSport (United) that day. Before that game, as a curtain-raiser, I was playing there for the B-team and I played well. Now you couldn't fool Masokolara (the club's supporters). They waited for the game to end and as soon as the final whistle went, they went there. They wanted the coach's blood. But little did they know that it was not the coach's decision not to field me and other players like Thapelo Liau and them. Those were the politics. But Styles had to manage his career and be as professional as possible, and I still respect him for telling me the real reason I wasn't playing, as I detailed it in last week's edition, because he could see that now I was angry.
Hmmm…
He said, "Kennedy, this is between me and you." Obviously I told Thapelo and them that, "Hey monna, this is what is being said by those guys in the office." And it was clear that it was not Ntate Molemela, it was those guys there. But I don't know why they did that, it's only them (who know). That is why I'm fighting every injustice in football now. Now I'm in a better position. I'm no longer a footballer, I don't belong in a team, so I might as well do justice for those players that are currently there and those that are not there. And I'm fighting from a very much informed position and space because I know the injustices of football. So, in case people can ask, "Who's this Kennedy?", please just explain to them that I've been there. I played professional football in Lesotho before South Africa was readmitted into international football. I played CAF before South Africans could participate in CAF. That is the Kennedy that is talking to you now, you see, so people must know that.
Sure, you certainly earned your stripes. It was not all politics though, there was fun and games at times.
Ha, ha, ha, that's true. There was this one incident. You know, during that process where I was not being fielded… Remember these guys were given instructions that Kennedy is a problem. So now, when we were going for training, Silas, our driver, left me behind. Usually, after training that kombi would come and park at the parking lot of the hotel where we were staying. I said, "Ja, good shot!" I made sure that I flattened all the tyres of that car so that if I didn't go to training, then the whole team didn't go to training. Nobody saw me. But the people that were there said Silas had told them, "No, it can only be one person who did this, it's Qhoa!" I was still going by the surname Qhoa at the time. Then he called Ntate Molemela, who was in Bethlehem busy with construction, and told him, "Ntate Molemela, all the cars are flattened and it's Qhoa (who did it)." Eish, Ntate Molemela told him where to get off! He said, "Leave my player alone maan wena Silas. It's one of these women that you are giving lifts to using our team's kombi." I'm telling you, my brother, at that time, being in that team kombi, we were at least celebrities for a moment, ha, ha, ha.
Let's talk muti now…
Ha, ha, ha, my brother, we experienced that in football. Remember there are a lot of energies there in football. There are a lot of people from a lot of countries. We had players from Liberia who believed in what they believed in. And we are Africans, we are from families who have different beliefs. But then we had Styles Phumo, who was a man of African beliefs. I remember our goalkeeper Simon Gopane, who represented Bafana Bafana at one World Cup. He was a pastor. Usually, when we were at camp at the hotel, we would go into Styles' room, and then there would be some concoction in the bathroom, there in the water. Then you had to bath and say, "Enemies must fall, we're going to win!" But Gopane refused to do that. I remember Styles telling him in a team talk that, "Hey, each and every team has its rituals. So, Gopane, even if you believe in God, we all believe in God, but here the team has its own beliefs. We need to use muti." No, we used a lot of muti, my brother.
Interesting insight!
Sometimes when we entered the field, we would be having groof (rough) salt in our hands. Remember teams would do a warm-up on the field from this goalpost to that goalpost, and we would be sprinkling that groof salt there to make sure that their muti did not work, uyabona (you see), ha, ha, ha. Ja, no, my brother, there was muti there. I remember one time we were playing Dynamos in Giyani and we could not enter the dressing room because there was some strong incense and smoke there. So, we had to go and get kitted out inside our kombi because we could not get inside there. And before that… because I would share a room with Thapelo. I have never seen such a… no, that thing was not a cockroach. It just got into the room and then disappeared. We were looking for it. That was the game where I received my first red card. I remember I was tackling Jabulani Mendu if I'm not mistaken and Marks Maponyane … I forgave him … he was the commentator and he said, "What a stupid tackle", and what-what and what-what. Then, what I did, because I had now received a red card, the management of the team were saying, "Ja, he's finished now." Then I wrote them a letter. Ask any player who was there, whether it's Fabian McCarthy, (Thiyekile) Gulwa, (Abram) Nteo, Thapelo and them. I still remember the contents of that letter very well because it came from the heart. I said to them, "When soldiers go to war, some must die. Whatever happened on the field of play, I did it for the team. But if this is the reception I'm getting, it's fine, I'm going home." I'm told that Styles had to call the players before training and he gave them that letter. Some of them, there were tears rolling down their cheeks.
Go on.
Styles then called me. It was the first time that was happening… I don't know if it happened in other teams. If you had a red card, you had to miss three games, but the second and the third game, I was travelling with the team. I received the bonus for a win, but I was not part of the 18-man squad. Maybe they did that just to, you know, cool me down. Because I gave them an honest letter. That when I defended goals when we won games, you celebrated with me, so when I fall, I fall in the battle for the team. But if this is the reception, you know… My brother, rona (us), we had a thick skin. Because I could see the reception and everything after that red card, people behaved as if there were no red cards there. But that only happens when there are guns pointing at you. I never stopped fighting for the rights of the players. That is why I said that I would respect Styles until his death. Before we parted ways, I remember it was towards the end of the season, he made sure to tell me, "Kennedy, I was given an instruction not to play you because you are a politician." And guess what? After that, players from Bloemfontein Celtic received contracts. To me, that is victory. Players never got contracts, players never knew how long they were contracted to the team, and that was just uncalled for. Unfortunately, those were the struggles of those days. But Styles was good.
By Lunga Adam
STILL IN TOUCH FUN FACTS
First paycheque: R3 000
Biggest bonus: R1 000
Opponent I respected the most: Doctor Khumalo Roger Feutmba
Team I'd have loved to play for: Orlando Pirates
Favourite PSL player right now: Themba Zwane
Best coach I played under: Styles Phumo
Craziest request from a fan: Ha, ha, ha, I will share later!
