Managing 23 appearances for a Richards Bay FC side that had a surprisingly good start to their rookie elite division season, only to see their fortunes take a tumble in the second round, Ntsikelelo Nyauza would have thought that was enough to earn him a new contract going into the current campaign. More so because centre-back, his position, is associated with leadership, and the Matatiele-born man has racked up valuable experience turning out for the likes of the now-defunct Platinum Stars and Orlando Pirates in the past. Disappointingly, the call was made not to renew his deal, something that did not sit well with the player. With 2023/24 in full swing and fast approaching the midway point, Nyauza finds himself in a catch-22, what with most South African clubs first looking at age before signing a player. In this interview with Soccer Laduma's Tshepang Mailwane, the defender reveals his mental state following his Natal Rich Boyz heartache, talks about his club search and answers the big question regarding retirement.
Tshepang Mailwane: Ntsiki, what have you been up to since leaving Richards Bay FC?
Ntsikelelo Nyauza: At the moment, I am going through that phase. I left Richards Bay. The club let go of coach Vasili (Manousakis) and they let go of (Luvuyo) Memela and they let go of me as well. With my departure, I was confused because they did not explain why they let me go. When I look at my statistics, I played week in and out and the team did well in the first half of the season. We did not concede too many goals in the first round of the season. If it wasn't for the good start that we had in the first round of the season, I think the team could have been relegated, so our first-round performance helped us a lot for the team to still be in the PSL (topflight) this season. You can see the difference in the team now and that experience plays a big role, when you compare it to last season. When you look at the team now, it means that they are going to need to work very hard in the second half of the season for the team to sustain their (topflight) status. From my experience, the second half of the season is always tough.
TM: How long was the contract you signed with the club?
NN: I signed for a season, but I don't have any closure.
TM: Why do you say that?
NN: Just the reason (why the contract was not renewed). I don't know what the reason was. I never got an answer. I don't think it was about my performance. If it was about my performance, then the team would have maybe been relegated. There was a time when people were talking about Richards Bay and some were even saying that we were going to finish in the Top Eight. We were number two on the log for some time, so I don't think it was a matter of performance. I don't know what it could be.
TM: Were you on a high salary package? Maybe that could be the reason…
NN: I have thought about that. It could be a possibility. But we can assume, but sometimes you must just tell the person what the reason is. Even if the salary is the reason, you should still approach the player and say that you are cutting costs, just so that the player can have closure. But I honestly don't know. Right now, we are just assuming that could be the reason. We don't know.
TM: It sounds like you had a lot of hope to stay with the KwaZulu-Natal outfit beyond the end of last season.
NN: I had a conversation with the chairman (Jomo Biyela) in January and he was keen on renewing my contract. He wanted us to sit down and talk about a contract for the following season. When he calls you in January, that means he was impressed with me and he wanted me to stay. Then, as the season progressed, things went quiet. The season ended and things were still quiet. When the chairman comes to you, obviously you hope that you will stay. But the season ended and maybe something changed his mind because he was keen for me to stay.
TM: Clearly, something changed along the way…
NN: Yes. It's something that we don't know. A lot of the time when you sign a one-season contract, they come to you in January. But I am also clueless. I am just like you. I don't have that closure.
TM: Was there a difference in how Richards Bay and Orlando Pirates handled your departure?
NN: Pirates are very professional. They are a big organization. They approached me and sat down with me, and they told me their reasons. We had a mutual agreement. They tell you and then you have closure so that you do not have any question marks. It's better when someone tells you the reasons, then you have a mutual agreement. That's how Pirates did it.
TM: How do you plan to move on because you probably will never get that closure from the Natal Rich Boyz?
NN: I won't lie, this thing is not easy. I don't have closure, but sometimes you just need to let go and let God be in control of the situation. I just need to find peace with myself going forward. I train on my own now and I am still looking for a team. I believe I didn't fail Richards Bay because they are still in the PSL. That was their main objective. I also did not fail myself because they are still in the PSL. I won't have any bad records to say that the team I played for was relegated. So, in some cases, you need to look at the positives and be proud of what you did. Now it's about waiting and maybe there will be a team that approaches me for me to play for them, with the experience that I have. I am learning and I know that life has phases and seasons. I am in that phase where I am training and doing the right thing so that I am ready when something comes my way.
TM: So, you haven't had any clubs approaching you at all?
NN: I got a call from one of the technical team members at Polokwane City and he told me that they were interested. He told me that he would speak to the chairman of the club (Johnny Mogaladi). He spoke to the chairman, but I don't know what they decided because they did not come back to me after that. So, I am still training alone and I hope that, by God's will, something will come up. I still have hope. I still have energy to do it at a professional level.
TM: On a mental level, how difficult is it to deal with a period like this?
NN: I will be transparent with you. You know when you are used to waking up and going to work or to training… now you have to switch to something that you are not used to in life. Now, you wake up in the morning and you do training by yourself, and the training is not the same as when you train with the team. I can do drills with my personal trainer, but it won't be the same as training with a team where you have small-sided games and passing drills. That switch is not easy because you are not used to it. It's difficult because you are not doing what you love.
TM: Why don't you knock on some more doors, instead of waiting for clubs to approach you?
NN: My agent (ProSport International) is doing that. He told me that there are clubs that say they are full, and they will come back to us. There are clubs that talk about my age. The funny thing is that some of them talk about my age, but when you look at some of the players the clubs sign, they are older than me. Maybe it goes with performances or people's surnames are more important. I don't know how it works… if it's the surname, the age or performance. From what I know, it's all about performance and experience. When they talk about age, there are players who are older than me and they can perform. So, my agent said we should wait a little and see what comes up. What's funny is that I was playing just a few months ago. It's not like I haven't played for two seasons. I didn't miss many games last season. I played 23 games and there was a time when I had the flu and missed a few games. If it wasn't for that, I would have played more games at this same age that people say is old. It's not the age which plays on the field, it's about the performance.
TM: Are you willing to take a salary cut?
NN: Yes, I am willing to take a salary cut. For me, it's not about the salary, it's about doing this because I love it. I want to finish things in a satisfactory way because everyone in life has their own targets, to do things by a certain age. If I can get two more seasons, I would be satisfied and I feel that I would give back to the players I play with in those two seasons, like teaching them and so on. It's not about money now, it's about playing and teaching the younger players and giving it my all. Then when I retire, I will know that I did my best.
TM: If you do not find a club, would you consider retirement?
NN: Eish, retirement? That's a tough one. That's something you cannot rush. You need to sit down and it's not a decision you can make overnight. You would have to discuss it with your agent and family because it's a sensitive one. Whatever is happening right now, I just have to go through that phase.
TM: Thanks for your time. We hope you find a club that will want to use your valuable experience sooner rather than later.
NN: Thank you so much for the opportunity, my brother.
NTSIKELELO NYAUZA FACT FILE
Date of birth: 10 May 1990
Place of birth: Matatiele, Eastern Cape
Nickname: Ntsiki
Position: Defender
Jersey number: N/A
Club: Unattached
Previous clubs: Platinum Stars, Roses United, Orlando Pirates, Richards Bay FC
Honours: 2020 MTN8 winner, 2021/22 CAF Confederation Cup runner-up (both with Pirates), 1 Bafana Bafana cap
