Only liSwati to play FA Cup – ‘Taribo’
MBABANE – Former Mbabane Swallows and South Africa’s Jomo Cosmos deadly striker Mfanafuthi ‘Taribo’ Bhembe revealed that he is the only Eswatini player to have played in the FA Cup in England.
This was while he was playing for Atherstone United.
The former national team player also revealed that he had to borrow soccer boots from Dennis ‘Denmark’ Fakudze during a Champions League match against Orlando Pirates, as he arrived on match day from the United States America (USA).
The game was played at KwaNyamazane. Enjoy your Sunday as the lanky former striker and now Eswatini Teqball Federation (ETF) President takes you down the memory lane.
TS - Please share with us who Mfanafuthi ‘Taribo’ Bhembe is.
Taribo - Mfanafuthi is a last born in a small family of three, now aged 41, a passionate sports person, born and raised in the city of Mbabane.
TS - How did you get hooked by the sport loved by millions?
Taribo - Hooked may not be right word because I’m not hooked now, ha ha ha, first I think it was a God-given talent that I used to the best of my abilities and secondly I believe it was an inheritance from my father, Chris Bhembe, who played the sport and I wanted to emulate him.
TS - Oh, I see, at what level did your father play at?
Taribo - Premier League of Eswatini for Manzini Wanderers.
TS - Tell the reader how you ended up being called ‘Taribo’.
Taribo - Well, Zweli ‘Botsotso’ Khoza came up with that name after the coach converted me to play defence in Namibia ha ha ha, during an Under-17 World Cup qualifier.
One of our defenders got injured before the game and ‘Botsotso’ asked me to take up the defenders role.
Mind you, I had been selected in the U-17 squad as a striker, but ended up dishing up a good performance as a defender.
After the 2-2 draw with Namibia away, Coach ‘Botsotso’ in his post-match interviews with the media in Namibia and Eswatini Media gave credit to certain individuals for a great performance and gave attributes to each player comparing them to international players who were good during those years, Taribo West a defender from Nigeria was one of the international players he compared my performance to.
The Eswatini media took that and blew it (the name) out of proportion ha ha ha. That’s how I got the name and it stuck.
TS - Ha ha ha! So, at what team did you launch your football career?
Taribo - I launched my career at Nkomazi Sundows and they had just been promoted into the Premier League, via the Hhohho playoffs criteria.
The late Thulane ‘Mau Mau’ Dlamini recruited me from schools sports competitions with other talents like the Mazibuko brothers Wandile ‘Wawa’ and Sicelo ‘Wire’ as well as Mxolisi ‘Tico’ Dlamini to name just a few .
TS – Yeah! Continue mfowethu.
Taribo - The team was under the late Charles ‘Mashesha’ Nhlengetfwa a businessman from Nkomazi, who had a vision in the game, he kept us motivated and we performed well under his leadership as juniors.
TS - It means schools back then had good structures looking at the players you have just mentioned. Taribo - Yes of course, schools had the cream of premier league players, I mean Sibusiso ‘Spoko’ Dlamini and Siza ‘King Pele’ Dlamini were MDS students while terrorising the league with their talent.
TS - Those were the days mfowethu, KaBoyce, had the likes of Zakhe Magagula. What a player and you were from St Marks?
Taribo - Oh yes Zakhe Magagula KaBoyce was a Marvel to watch. No I was at St Francis; St Marks had Fritz Junior Selbie.
TS - Oh yes! Tell us how long you played for Nkomazi Sundowns?
Taribo - I played only two seasons at Nkomazi Sundowns and we won the inaugural Baphalali Red Cross Trade Fair Cup back then.
TS - You were then snatched by Umkhonto KaShaka if my memory serves me well?
Taribo - Yes you are right, snatched is the right word, I was already with Mbabane Highlanders Camp at that time. I had a preseason with them and was about to sign. I scored seven goals alone in a friendly in Bhunya and I was certain to sign with Highlanders.
TS – Sure continue.
Taribo - At that time I was also paving my way to further my studies in South Africa; I accidentally met the Late Victor Gamedze at the Mbabane Mall.
We stopped to chat about football in general, he told me of his dreams of taking over Mbabane Swallows and how Swallows was currently in the relegation zone at that time.
He pleaded with me to help the team move in that position, as he wanted to take over from Director Bheki Simelane.
I told him about my involvement with Mbabane Highlanders, knowing the rival between the two sides.
Gamedze quickly promised to counter the offer Highlanders had.
TS – Really?
Taribo – Jah he did and that made my mind to go help the ‘Birds’ fight relegation.
TS - Ha ha ha how much was the offer? Taribo - The offer from Gamedze was a holistic package, anything I wanted I got, it included car services, a travel package and of course money, which I may not reveal but I was the highest paid in the land.
TS - Ha ha ha, the move eventually came. Did Highlanders call to try and convince you, or did they just accept?
Taribo - Highlanders did accept, it wasn’t like there was a fight over me; my objective wasn’t to play football but to further my studies, so Highlanders and Swallows understood that I was going to be a part time player.
TS - I see. How long did you play for Swallows before you went to further your studies in SA?
Taribo - I played while I was still at school, straight from high school I went to do my Matric in Pretoria before University, after Matric I went to the UK for trails and all that time I was on Mbabane Swallows books, so I played more fully during school breaks.
TS - Iyooh, you took academics seriously, mfowethu you mentioned that you went to the UK for trials. Please share with the reader on that.
Taribo - Nothing beats academics in our space of living.
Football is a short career and it is important to have an educational background in anything.
The UK trials where a great opportunity arrange by Gregg Scotbricks a close family friend of Fritz ‘Mdala’ Selbie, we headed up to Yorkshire with Junior Fritz to Chesterfield FC for trail out during preseason and end up playing for a low league club called Buxton FC for a season, within that season I played the league and an FA Cup tie round. People don’t know I am the only liSwati to play in an FA Cup tie hey ha ha ha.
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