His name is Oupa Khalanga Baloyi, a young man who hails from the remote village of Lulekani in Phalaborwa. He is one of Soccer Laduma's loyal readers. In this interview with Supporters Club's Lerato Mkhondo, the Mamelodi Sundowns fan takes us through his passion for the beautiful game and his unmatched love for Africa's best football publication, and how the paper has impacted his life.
Lerato: Oupa, firstly, thank you so much for the love, we truly appreciate it. What attracted you to Soccer Laduma?
Oupa: I was still in primary school when my older brother and uncle used to buy the paper a lot and I would grab the copy just after they finished reading, and I would start asking them questions. That's when my love for Soccer Laduma began.
Lerato: Interesting.
Oupa: That is when I started saving for the paper. Whenever my mom gave me money, especially on Wednesdays, I would rush to the nearest shop and buy myself a copy.
Lerato: What kind of questions did you ask your brother and uncles?
Oupa: I would ask about the players who were being interviewed on a weekly basis and about the Soccer Laduma journalists. I know almost everyone at the SL offices. From the CEO, the editors and the journalists. I can list them for you if you wish? I know all of them from the top of my head!
Lerato: Hahaha, I'm sure you can. Now, tell me, do you remember the first copy you bought?
Oupa: Yoh! No, hey, I was very young, honestly. One thing I can tell you, though, is that I love Soccer Laduma with every fibre of my being!
Lerato: Fantastic. What is the first section you check when you get your copy?
Oupa: Oh wow! What a good question! Siya! I always check that section first.
Lerato: Why Siya?
Oupa: Hahaha, another good question! It is incredible in terms of updating us about the latest news regarding local football. You will not get more accurate updates than in Siya. I love it! Nobody understands my love for Siya, nobody! That is followed by the one that belongs to Vuyani Joni.
Lerato: You mean the Editor's Column…
Oupa:( Cuts in) Yes! The editor's column, my sister! Vuyani taught me English hey, from his days as a journalist. That guy's English is something else! His writing skills and English are top-notch. You can tell by the way he articulates himself that he does his research thoroughly before penning it down. He is incredible! You know, I call him the "Football Truth-Teller Extraordinaire", he is that great in that section, my sister. I follow him on Twitter, sometimes he would respond whenever I try to engage with him and sometimes he would not, but I understand. I mean, he is an editor of the biggest football publication in Africa so I can only imagine how hectic and busy he is sometimes.
Lerato: Oh, wow. Our editor is going to love this!
Oupa: You know, Vuyani's English helped me a lot in my English subject in school. Imagine, a poor guy like me from a poor village mastering English the way I did in school. My vocabulary improved a lot because of him. My teachers used to praise me a lot when it comes to English, saying I'm doing exceptionally well. Little did they know that it was all Vuyani and Soccer Laduma!
Lerato: What a revelation!
Oupa: Then there's Still In Touch! The funny one by Lunga and bra Vuyani. I refer to myself a born-free because I was born in 1994. So people would imagine that I know nothing much about players of yesteryear, but I do because of that section. I treat it as my Catch Up! My DSTV Explorer! Because I get to explore about players who have retired from the beautiful game, the laughs are just a bonus.
Look out for Part 2 on tomorrow!
