Dukes, we got to the end of last week's offering while you were about to share how your second game in Real Rovers' colours, against Kaizer Chiefs, went, having done fairly well on debut against Bush Bucks. Let's start there.
Even though I did well on debut, I really never thought I was going to be in the starting line-up against Chiefs. They were coming to visit us at Peter Mokaba Stadium. Heee, Lungas! You know, they announced the team in the morning, around 11h30, during the pre-match meal. Our coach, Shepherd Murape, said, "My boy, you are going to start." Eish, you know those butterflies in the stomach, shivering a little bit and sweating a little bit. I was like, "Ha! Out of all these experienced players, this man chooses me to start the game against Kaizer Chiefs? Yho!" So, we went to the stadium. Yerrr! We got to the dressing room, they said we were now going to inspect the pitch. Yho, yho, yho! The atmosphere! Looking at Kaizer Chiefs players, they were wearing nicely. I think they were sponsored by Reebok or Kappa that time, and they were looking nice. As for us, we didn't have a sponsor, so we were wearing our own clothes, ha, ha, ha. As we were inspecting the pitch, I saw Neil Tovey, I saw the late Sizwe Motaung and I was quite overwhelmed. However, our senior players helped a lot in calming me down, telling me, "Dukes, the way you are so fit, we must kill Kaizer Chiefs today!" I was playing on the left, meaning I would be coming up against the late Motaung – may his soul rest in peace. I made sure to go and receive the ball every time. My first touch was good and I enjoyed myself.
Not too bad after all hey?
I remember first half I scored, but the goal was ruled out for offside. There was a ball that came and I was supposed to hit it first time. I trapped it, then managed to escape the clutches of Motaung and Tovey and unleashed a shot, which Brian Baloyi saved it. I never thought I would be like that. Just imagine, when we went to the change room for half-time, the score was 0-0. In the dressing room at half-time, Murape was sweating. That man was a soldier! He kept quiet for a while, and then suddenly pointed at me. He said, "You, young boy, you don't want to play for this team! You must go back to Ria Stars!" I couldn't understand it. Everybody was shocked there, asking themselves, "Why is the coach shouting at this young boy?" Then he said, "Go back!", and we went back for the second half. That's when I created a goal for (George) "Rubber" Mathiba. Later in the game, Chiefs scored through a Marc Batchelor goal from a Shakes Kungwane corner kick. The game ended in a draw, and for some reason, I was worried about my performance, and had even decided to myself, "Tomorrow I'm not going to training. That coach shouted at me at half-time." But when I came into the change room after the game, he clapped for me and said, "My boy, you are the Man of the Match!" Ha, ha, ha. I was like, "This man is difficult." That is where I started to take my game to another level. I was no longer in a comfort zone. I knew I needed to have character. He wanted me to play more than that. He was pushing me, you understand? From then on, I never feared anyone. Had I chickened out, I would not have become that player because Murape, when he wanted something from you, he would push you. Some coaches know that if I can talk to a certain player like this, he will do better, and then this one I must be lenient with him. We are different as players… even the coaches.
As we understand it, he was not the only coach you played under who always pushed you to the limit. There was also Malombo Lechaba at some stage…
Bra Jan! Ha, ha, ha. I played under him at Ria Stars. That man… ey, ey, ey! You know coach Malombo, if as a player you want to revive your career, you want to come back in football with full force, if you can be trained by that man, I'm telling you, that man will train you, Lunga. He doesn't compromise, he will tell you straight in your face, "Ah niyadlala nina bafana bam (you must be kidding, my boys). If you want to play at the highest level, you must train." He was so strict. I had a very serious injury when I came from Rovers. It was a knee problem, but the man would take me for roadwork in the morning, he would take me to Virgin Active. He would say, "Dukes, this is nothing maan. Hao tlohele o tefa maan, hao tlohele o ba ngwana maan (Just stop being a cry-baby, man)." Ha, ha, ha. But he made me strong because he was always pushing me. He would say, "Bona, tlohela o tefa maan, o tlo dlala bolo (Look, stop being a cry-baby and play football)." On top of being a hard taskmaster, he always emphasised on players eating properly. One day when I have a team, I will take coach Malombo as a physical trainer or a technical director because he knows his job. When it comes to training players, he's very good. I love him, but hey, we were always fighting. We would train and then the following day, when I was walking, I could feel I was not myself. Talk about a disciplinarian, but we learnt a lot of things from him because when you went to other teams, you found other coaches who were even stricter than him. He's a soldier maan. That man will train you, I'm telling you. He was always on my neck.
Why was he always on your neck?
No, we were not fighting, you know. I was playing as a winger and sometimes as a striker. When he arrived, he said to me, "Hey Dukes, no man, we are struggling there up front. I want someone to score us goals, you understand?" He would call me and explain to me gore (that), "I want you to play this position like this", and I would say, "Okay, coach." But if I didn't do what he wanted me to do, he would say, "Hayi maan (No, man), Dukes, you have disappointed me." He would tell me straight! He was a straight talker. He would say, "Dukes, you need extra training." Sometimes the team would be given the day off to rest, but he would take me to the ground and train me for more than two hours. The following day, he would take me to Virgin Active. He would say, "No, you are not the way I want you to be, Dukes. You know Roberto Carlos, you remind me of him. Your free kicks, your shooting, your crosses…" He would motivate you, but when he was going to train me, I would forget that this was the man who was motivating me. Yerrr! That time he is serious. My morning sessions with him would last about two-and-a-half hours. After that, we would go to the shower and then he would take me out for lunch. Remember at 15h00 we still had training with the rest of the team. After eating, I would say, "Coach, I want to go home and rest a little bit." He would say, "What!? You are not going anywhere. A player, after eating, sleeping? No, no, no. Dukes, let's take a walk in town." We would take a walk and straight from there, Lunga, we would go back for the 15h00 session.
Ha, ha, ha, hectic stuff!
And don't think it's going to be a light session with the team. Kere (I'd say), "Hayi (No), coach, nna I'm tired, you are killing me. I had to wake up at 07h00 to prepare for extra training, and now the team is training at 15h00, and I've never rested." A re (He would say), "Hey Dukes, let's go." Ha, ha, ha. But towards the end of my career, when I went to Mpumalanga Black Aces at 32 or 33, I could see that that work that I did with him had done wonders for me. Had I found him when I was younger, at the age of 17 or 18, and he trained me like that, we would be talking a different story now. That man was a soldier. He would motivate me nicely, saying, "Dukes, tomorrow, let's go for training. I want you to do shooting, crosses, whatever." Yerrr, the warm-up! It was like pre-season training. He would say, "Ha hona niks (That's nothing), Dukes maan!"
STILL IN TOUCH FUN FACTS
First paycheque: R2 500
Biggest bonus: R5 000
Opponent I respected the most: Johannes Mine
Team I'd have loved to play for: Kaizer Chiefs
Favourite PSL player right now: Themba Zwane
Best coach I played under: Jacob Sakala
Craziest request from a fan: None, just requests for sports merchandise
