Soccer Laduma readers, if there's an angry mob chasing you and you're lucky enough to get away, you make sure you don't meet up with them again soon. Right? Well, if your name is Herman 'Man O Man' Leroke, it seems you don't follow this basic rule of survival. Find out why 'Man O Man' ran back to the angry mob who had been chasing him...and what made these people scatter in all directions, Banks and Ace tell it all in this week's 'episode' taken from Soccer Laduma edition 318 of 7 May , 2003
Peter: The main men...howzit?
Ace: Alive...
Banks: And kicking.
Peter: Talk to us, what's happening?
Ace: Today we've got a story about one of Banksie's friends, the late Herman 'Man O man' Leroke.
Peter: The old Orlando Pirates midfielder.
Banks: Yes, that's the one.
Ace: I really didn't know Leroke off the field. I never knew him socially, Banksie did.
Peter: He was a good player though.
Ace: Oh yes. He wasn't that skilful but he was smart and very hard working.
Banks:Ace's right. Herman 'Man O Man' Leroke knew how to handle himself on the field. He played in a very good Orlando Pirates midfield and he did the hard work for the likes of Jomo and so on.
Peter: Good. So, Banksie, what's the story?
Banks: You know, Peter, there's a place called Bekkersdal near Randfontein where I live and where Ace used to stay. In the '70s there were people who never left the place. They never left Bekkersdal!
Peter: No way!
Banks: Serious.
Ace: Ha, ha...they were 'home defenders'!
Banksie: Hey, guys, I am being serious here. They had this thing in those days in Bekkersdal that a woman from the area was not allowed to date any man who didn't come from Bekkersdal.
Peter: No way!
Ace: No, Banksie's right, those guys from Bekkersdal were crazy.
Banksie: One day 'Man O Man' came to my house and said, "Banksie, I have a chick in Bekkersdal that I am going to visit, come with me." I told him he was crazy. I said, "Those guys from Bekkersdal will kill you if they find out you are messing with one of their women!" But Herman was adamant that because he was an Orlando Pirates player no one would harm him.
Ace: Banksie thought he knew what he was letting himself in for.
Banks: 'Man O Man' had a car and we got to his girlfriend's house at about 7pm. But I tell you what, someone must have informed the men from Bekkersdal that an 'outsider' was in the house with a Bekkersdal woman because within 30 minutes there was a big group of about 30 guys outside the front of the house.
Peter: Oh-oh.
Ace: Ha, ha...Banksie's in deep trouble again! The thing about guys from Bekkersdal was that they knew how to fight. They liked to fight and they were very rough and tough. Guys like Jackie Masike, Chilliboy and George More were all from Bekkersdal.
Peter: And Jackie Masike really knew how to look after himself.
Ace: Oh yes.
Banks:When the owner of the house saw that his home was surrounded, he got really scared. He started shouting and screaming at his daughter, "I told you not to allow this Orlando Pirates player in my house! I told you no men who are not from Bekkersdal are allowed in here. Look what trouble you have caused me." He was going beserk and then he turned on us. "You soccer players get out, get out of my house now!" He simply chased us away to meet this angry mob.
Ace: Ha, ha.
Banks: You can laugh but it was very scary.
Peter: What did 'Man O Man' Leroke do?
Banks: Listen, 'Man O Man' was just an average size guy. But he was very, very strong and he was scared of nothing. He was also a real fighter. He looked at me and said, "OG." He called everyone OG, … short for 'Oh gents' or 'Okay, gents'. So he said, "OG, just follow me, watch me."
Ace: Crazy...he was crazy you know!
Banks: Hell man, we got outside. These guys, about 30 of them, had batons, sticks and chains. I couldn't see any guns or knives.
Peter: This is going to be no contest.
Banks:Man … 'Man O Man' just walked straight up to the first big guy and...Pow! One punch he knocked him out cold. Then he hit a second guy but the guy just fell back and regained his composure. The next minute all 30 of those guys piled into poor old 'Man O Man' and hit him senseless.
Peter: Shame...but what happened to you, Banksie?
Banks: Amazingly they left me. They chased the woman away and just left me. It must have been my lucky day. I wanted to help 'Man O Man' but they would have killed me.
Peter: And poor old Herman 'Man O Man' Leroke, how was he?
Banksie:Eventually they left him alone. When he stumbled to his feet they told him to go...before they killed him! The beating took place in the street. At the end of the street was a circle and while 'Man O Man' got up to run away, the crowd moved slowly to the end of the street towards the circle.
Ace: Ha, ha...I know what's coming...
Peter: What?
Banks: 'Man O Man' was basically knocked senseless. He didn't even know who he was, never mind why he was running. You see he disappeared for a while and then someone in the crowd saw him come running back towards the crowd.
Peter: Trouble again!
Banks:Ha, ha. You see the people in the crowd knew that 'Man O Man' was a tough guy from Soweto and they thought, "Hell, here's a guy we've just beaten almost to death and yet he's coming, running back for more. He must be crazy...he must have a gun...to get revenge!" The next thing they scattered in all directions, leaving only me standing there...honestly.
Ace: Ha, ha.
Peter: No...
Banks: I swear...I mean I was shocked. But it got worse...because 'Man O Man' was so senseless from the beating that he just ran past me and right around the circle and then straight back up the road away from me...back the way he originally ran from the crowd. He didn't know what he was doing or where he was!
Ace: Ha, ha.
Peter: Ha, ha. Unbelievable...so what did you do?
Banks: The car was still there, fortunately I had the keys so I got in and immediately started to drive after him.
Peter: And?
Banks:Obviously I eventually caught up with him. He was so dazed that I had to lift him into the car. It took poor Herman about a week to recover from that beating.
Ace: Ja...you want to mess with Bekkersdal girls! Ha, ha.
Banks: You know the funny thing is that when 'Man O Man' retired from soccer, he got a job as a clerk on one of the Western mines and he worked with the guys from Bekkersdal, even some of those guys who had beaten him up.
Ace: That's how life works … life can be crazy!
Peter: For sure...well, gents, God bless Herman 'Man O Man' Leroke. May his soul rest in peace!
Ace: Amen. And on that note, gents, take it easy.
Banks:Just like Sunday morning.
