In a world where many former footballers choose coaching as the next step after retiring from playing, a former Black Leopards striker took a route that he felt would be safer - as a prison warden.
Coxwell Ratshivhadelo, popularly known as 'Magic' during his playing days, ended his playing career in 2006 and already had a job. While he was playing professional football, Ratshivhadelo was also working as a prison warder.
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Almost 20 years since calling time on his playing career, the 53-year-old is enjoying his life as an employee for the Correctional Services at Leeuwkop prison in Johannesburg.
"I was fortunate because I was playing professional football and I was working at the same time. I was getting two salaries, so when I stopped playing, I had to adjust to getting one salary. It took two to three months to adjust to getting one salary as a prison warder, but I ended.
"I started working as a prison warder in 1998 while I was playing for Dynamos. After Dynamos got relegated, I went to Black Leopards in 2001. At the end of my second season with Leopards, I went to Wits University and I also transferred from the prison in Thohoyandou to the Leeuwkop prison in Johannesburg.
"I was fortunate that when I played for Wits, it worked well with my schedule. At Wits, we trained at 4pm. So I would go to work at Leeuwkop prison at 6am and then I would be done in time to be at training at 4pm. I did not want to jeopardise my work because I knew football was a short career. My concentration was on my job."
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Ratshivhadelo remains active, as he plays for the Correctional Services masters team.
"Sport is in my blood. I still play for the Correctional Services Masters. We have a Masters team and we play and we also have something called endurance walk and we go to different provinces. We walk 75km in two days. The way I left football, I did not have motivation to pursue a career in coaching. Most of the players from my era were exploited, so I thought I should just forget about football after I retired."
During his playing career, he played for Dynamos, Black Leopards, Wits University and Pietersburg Pillars.
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