South Africa’s European pioneer, Steve “Kalamazoo” Mokone, the first black to play professional soccer in Holland, is set to undergo surgery today at the Georgetown University Medical School in the US.

The 81-year-old, who played for Durban Bush Bucks in the 1950s before moving overseas to represent the likes of Coventry City, Heracles Ermelo and Olympique Marseille, has been experiencing severe stomach pains for the past three months.

Having already survived major surgery in 2008 at the John's Hopkins Hospital University Medical Center, the legend admits to being somewhat nervous.

“I am a little nervous,” Mokone told Soccer-Laduma. “As you might know any time one under goes surgery using an anaesthetic, it is a risk. But the risk is doubled for me because of the defibrillator implanted in my chest and attached to my heart. They have to hook me up to a huge defibrillator, just in case a problem develops. The whole procedure will last about two hours.”

Back in 2008 he entered hospital on the same day as popular Cape Town journalist Lennie Kleintjies, who later died

“Lennie went in and never came back,” he concludes. “Two experts have come up with two different diagnose, a hole in my colon and stitches from my previous op inserted in my pancreas that may have come loose.”