Welcome back, "Brunoski", after some interesting stories from last week's edition. What have you got in store for us today?
Ha, ha, ha, thanks for having me back. Do you know Khethukuthula Zwane?
Yes, yes, the former Jomo Cosmos, Pretoria University, Wibank Spurs and Black Leopards (among others) left winger, who is now your teammate at Platinum City Rovers!
Ha, ha, ha, that's him! That man can talk! We always hear people going on about how much certain people can talk, but I can bet, no one can outtalk that guy! There was a time when we went to play Hungry Lions in Kimberley. It was me, Lorence Vilakazi, Simphiwe Ndlovu, John Tshabalala, Oupa Manyisa, Olaleng Shaku and Khethu sitting in the backseat of our bus. You won't believe that this man spoke from Johannesburg all the way to Kimberley! I'm not talking about someone repeating the same stories or anything like that. Everything he said, throughout that trip, was new and something he had never shared with us. We hardly had any time to interject because he kept the 'mic' to himself, the whole trip, ha, ha, ha. To be honest, we all enjoyed those stories and never, not even once, did we grow tired of listening to this one voice the whole trip. He was telling us about stuff he went through, growing up, and what happened at every club he played for. Whenever someone fell asleep, Khethu would take out his cell phone torch and place it on your face. Obviously, with the blinding light, we'd have no option but to wake up and listen to his crazy stories. The man can talk, ha, ha, ha.
Jislaaik! That's almost a five-anda- half-hour drive, listening to one voice, ha, ha, ha. Maybe he's the team's 'voice of reason'.
Ha, ha, ha, you have no idea what we went through that day. When he brightens your face, you wake up and ask him why he's doing such and disturbing your sleep. He'd be like, "My man, you can't sleep when I am talking to you. We are going to camp when we get to Kimberley, so why are you sleeping now? By the way, we are not here to sleep. Even on the field of play, we need you wide awake, so you better get used to staying awake and aware of your surroundings." Ha, ha, ha, that guy never gets tired of listening to his voice, man. We were all forced to sit through his stories the whole time and we got to Kimberley so tired because he wouldn't allow us to nap. We lost the game 3-2 and were obviously not happy about it. We committed mistakes that really got to us, so most of us were angry, disappointed and frustrated. The last thing we wanted to go through is the same experience as we did the previous day. We all just wanted our own space to deal with the loss.
Only fair.
No prizes for guessing who changed the mood in the bus and put a smile on everyone's face, ha, ha, ha. Khethu was just in his element! Mind you, this guy didn't even play in the match, so you'd think he will be more disappointed, but that was not the case. The bus was so quiet, with everyone minding their own business and really not in the mood to talk. He comes for me, "Bruno, why are you so quiet?" I told him, "My man, we lost and you know it." He then said, "Of course we lost. Did anyone die from our loss? Come on, man, there is so much to be grateful for out there! Let's forget about the game and focus on the next one. We get another chance to try tomorrow because today is gone. We are not going to get that 90 minutes back, it is gone, but we will get another 90 minutes with a different opposition and that's where we can fix the mistakes we made in today's game."
Wise words and he's clearly a voice of reason!
My brother! That guy is something else. He will leave you laughing alone and people might think you are crazy when you think of the things he says and does. You will be with your family and one of his crazy stories comes to mind and you start laughing, with everyone looking at you and wondering what's going on, ha, ha, ha. When he saw that we were all warming up to his wise words in the bus, he told us, "This is how life should be, man." I must say, despite him talking non-stop, he's a wise guy that will always have something positive to see out of any situation. Whenever he is on the field, you won't see a smile on his face. He's so serious, you'd swear he's fighting… even at training. One day, I asked him, "Mangethe, why are you fighting?" He told me, "Hey, I'm not fighting, I'm just serious. I make jokes off the field but not on the field," I couldn't stop laughing, because he is always a different person on the field than off it, ha, ha, ha.
Ha, ha, ha, crazy stuff!
I remember when we played Black Leopards, last season, and we were fighting relegation. We were in such a bad space, as a team, but not Mangethe! What surprised me was when the Chairman (Tyzer Temo) addressed us and said, "Guys, we really need to win this game…" and Mangethe was like, "Even if we get relegated, it is fine", before bursting out into huge laughter. We were all surprised, and then he told us, "You guys are too tense for my liking. You can't live life like this. Whatever you do, do it with joy, don't be tense. We are not going to lose to Leopards and we are definitely not getting relegated." He then told us he'd never lost a game against Leopards and it was not going to start that day. It took me a long time to digest the lesson he was giving us because all our eyes could see was the possible relegation. We were nervous, ha, ha, ha, but it helped to have someone like him in the team because he made us see the bigger picture. He told the Chairman, "Have faith, Chairman, in everything you do. God sees us and He will reward us."
Any more stories before we let you go?
Yes, I've got one more. We call Peal (Pealvince Madonsela) "Junior Chairman" and after we won one of our games, he told us, "Hey, guys, when we get into the change room, everyone will be getting R500 bonus for this win." The guys were like, "Ag, please, you don't even have R500 in your wallet right now!" We all laughed at him so much because we were seriously on his case, teasing him that he didn't even have enough cash to get home. The love and team spirit in this team is so amazing, man.
We can already tell. Thank you so much, Brunoski, and all the best for the season.
Anytime, bhuti (brother).
By Vuyani Joni
IN TOUCH FUN FACTS
Nickname: Powder Bank
Marital status: Engaged
Car: Clio Renault
Boots: Puma Ultra
Favourite teammate: Olaleng Shaku
Favourite roommate: Sipho Zwane
Best friend in football: Kabelo Mahlasela
Favourite food: Pasta and mince
Favourite footballer: Happy Jele
