Glad to have you back, Humphrey. Some interesting stories about your early days at Moroka Swallows in the last edition, where we heard that you guys even had bodyguards while camping in notorious Hillbrow. To start off this week, let's reminisce about your first time on a flight. We're sure you remember that!
Ja, I think I remember my first flying experience and I was still playing for Daveyton Highlanders. We were off to play against Reservoir Hills, who were coached by Professor Ngubane at the time. We were going to play in Durban and camped at Elangeni – I don't know what they call that hotel these days. It was not a nice experience because most of the time when I was flying, bengiphathwa sisiyezi (I would suffer from dizziness). To make matters worse, I would only recover the following day. It was a complete nightmare if we were going to play the same day we flew. But as time went by, ngajwayela (I got used to it), only that the dizziness never really went away. Even now, when I take a flight, I become dizzy, but I manage to recover the following day. It was not easy when I was playing professionally because when we were playing against Cape Town Spurs away, for example, we would travel on a Friday morning and then play that same night.
Eish, your plight must have been exacerbated by the fact that the club weren't able to make 'alternative arrangements' for you, seeing that most teams were run on a shoestring budget in those days.
Ja, ja, because the only special arrangement that could be made was for me to drive my car, and that meant I would have to travel two to three days before everyone else if we were travelling to Cape Town. It was not easy at all.
Other than being part of a team nicknamed the Dube Birds yet couldn't fly, how would you sum up your stay with the club?
That's where I made my name. The team was not up there in terms of money, but I was happy because this is something I had wanted for a long time (turning professional). I remember when I arrived there, my salary was R2 500. This was around 1994, 1995, and I was in college, so it wasn't too bad hey. Just being there, for me, was a good experience. I enjoyed my time there together with the guys that were there. The good thing is that I was not just signed by management, the coach wanted me there and I was happy.
Then your life changed in a split second…
Yeah. So, during my second year at Swallows, we went on off-season and… I don't know what happened. I was chilling there with my friends. One of them went to buy a newspaper and when he returned from the shop, I got the shock of my life because there was a picture of me on the back page, along with a story that Kaizer Chiefs were looking for me! In fact, to say I was shocked would be an understatement, but I must be honest in admitting that part of me was also happy because during that time, Chiefs was bigger than now. I never thought they would come for me because remember they had top, top players back then. I never imagined myself being in that set-up and I was just playing for fun at Swallows. There was nothing that said inside of me I wanted to go better than that.
So, what happened after you saw that article?
You know, after a week, I went back for pre-season training. The team went to play a friendly in Venda. We went there on a Friday and we camped there at Venda Hotel. That's when we saw the Chiefs guys there, as it appeared they were also one of the teams we were going to play friendlies with. Then on the Saturday when we went to play the game, unfortunately I could not play because I was injured, I just went there with the team. I was sitting in the stands watching the game, and then Wellington Manyathi saw me and he came to me. He told me, "These people want to sign you, man. They like your style of play." That's where I could see that this thing was true. Then I told him that I would come to the (Chiefs) office. But I didn't go there like they were expecting because they wanted me to come the following day. But after three days… So, there was a guy who was a big Chiefs supporter, they sent him to my place, uyabona (you see)? That guy, he was a police member, but also he was a bodyguard for them. Fortunately, wangithola (he got me), but I didn't go with him the same day. I said to him, "We should go tomorrow, wena come in the morning." But guess what?
Yes…
It turns out (Mamelodi) Sundowns were also looking to secure my services. Their coach back then was Screamer (Tshabalala). However, I didn't know about it at the time, which is why I told the Chiefs guy to come the next day. As fate would have it, the Sundowns guy came that night.
Ha, ha, ha, the Chiefs guy must have been fast asleep, knowing he had to come fetch you the next morning.
So, the Sundowns guy told me that the coach wanted to have a look at me and that I was supposed to go there at Sundowns. Eish, manje (now) I was surprised and shocked as to what was happening because naba labantu (here are these people), both of them. But the Sundowns guy came again the next day, and he came early.
Oh no, the Chiefs guy was still sleeping. It must have been a cold winter's morning.
He picked me up and we went to Pretoria. Now I was running away from the Chiefs guy, ha, ha, ha. That's when I spoke to Natasha (Tsichlas) and Screamer. But they were divided on whether they wanted me or not. We spoke and spoke, and couldn't come to an agreement on certain things, so I could not sign with them. The following day, I then phoned the Chiefs guy and told him, "Sorry, man, I had gone to training. You can come tomorrow morning so we could shoot through to Naturena." Indeed, he came and I went there. We spoke, we spoke with the Chiefs people, and then it came down to the money factor. Swallows, at the time, was still managed by the likes of "Chicco" (Twala), (Mike) Mangena and (the late David) Chabeli. There was a delay of a month or so, so I had to stay put at Swallows while the negotiations were ongoing. I had to make sure the whole thing didn't affect me mentally. Remember, like I said, Chiefs was bigger than now, so not just any Tom, Dick and Harry could join them. You had to know your story. But eventually, they came to an agreement and Chiefs bought me from Swallows.
Now, be honest here. If you had agreed on terms with Sundowns, that would be it, no Chiefs move for you, right?
Ja, but because of the money factor, uyabona, ha, ha, ha, the move didn't happen. Sometimes there are those cases where people need you but they are not that desperate or that serious. Maybe they just want ukumoshela omunye umuntu (to ruin things for the other one who wants you). I was just thinking of those things. Maybe there was also a little bit of self-doubt because Sundowns at that time was still coming. I saw that Chiefs was bigger than Sundowns and thought that maybe I had a better chance of playing at Sundowns. It was not easy playing for Chiefs at that time, eish. Top players were joining Chiefs and I didn't think I had reached that stage. I was just new in football, trying to find my feet. I had maybe only spent two years in the professional set-up.
Brilliant behind-the-scenes insight, stories the fans never get to hear about when it comes to how deals are done or fall flat at the last minute. So, thank you, and let's do this again next week.
Of course, Lunga!
STILL IN TOUCH FUN FACTS
First paycheque: R2 500
Biggest bonus: R30 000 for winning the Rothman's Cup
Opponent I respected the most: Roger Feutmba
Team I would have loved to play for: Orlando Pirates
Favourite PSL player right now: Teboho Mokoena
Best coach I played under: Jeff Butler Paul Dolezar
Craziest request from a fan: It was just requests for T-shirts, mostly
