PERSONALITY OF WEEK THE AGE 29

From being a part-time groundsman while still at school to working as an electrician, enterprising Namibian winger Deon Hotto has never lost the appetite for football. That is evident in the way he has been performing at Orlando Pirates this season. In this interview with Kick Off ’s Lovemore Moyo, Hotto reveals that it was the gravitas of Dr Irvin Khoza who won him over to join The Buccaneers, rather than a big-money move to Turkish giants, Besiktas.

KICK OFF: So, the boy from the township of Mondesa is now living the life that was only a dream in your early days at Swakopmund FC juniors. How was your family upbringing and rise into football?

I am the last born from a family of three boys and three girls but I lost my mother when I was in Grade 3. So, I have grown up for most of my life with my father. He is still a bus driver at the Rössing uranium mine – and it is so popular after my achievements that he can’t cope anymore! Both my brothers, Moses and Theoder, played in the first division and were far better than me, according to what their friends always tell me. My mom was a sprinter at school and my youngest sister is an athlete as well. Just the other day, my father reminded me that when I was a kid, I would wake up early, around 06h00, and kick the ball against the wall of the house and make so much noise that I would be disturbing everyone sleeping. So, I suppose this passion for the game that I have was always there from back then. Even at school, I was always the first one to run to the field at break time.

KICK OFF: Yet you earned money as a groundsman and later an electrician …

Swakopmund FC (SFC) is a team of the German community, who own companies in the town, and they used to give us jobs so that we could make an extra income. In my case, I was a groundsman while others helped in plumbing, painting, and the likes. After school, I used to water and cut the grass and do the lines with the help of the main gardener – and by the time the other guys arrive at 5 pm, I would train with them and go home afterwards. I became a professional footballer because I was always stuck on the grounds after school. After graduating from SFC Under-17, I was struggling to get into the first team because there were better players. I left for Blue Boys, who gave me a job as an electrician because the club was owned by someone who had an electrical company. I was doing DB boards [distribution board] and I remain a good electrician up to now because I worked during the day and trained in the evening since football is not professional in Namibia. I then played for African Stars, because they are a community club for the Herero tribe and I am Herero, so it just made sense that I play for that team, which my father’s brother also played for. African Stars also got me another electrician job and paid for my fully furnished place on top of the contract they had given me.

KICK OFF: Golden Arrows were not even coming for you when they spotted you in the national team… [Laughing] Arrows came to have a closer look at a striker [Hendrik Somaeb], but he got injured and I had to replace him in the national team. I was taking the place of my homeboy, which is why – even up to now – he remains my roommate in the national team – and when he has problems, I always help him.

KICK OFF: As you approach the completion of your first season with Orlando Pirates, not many know that you could have made this move straight from Golden Arrows in 2015 after winning the Cosafa Cup but decided otherwise. What happened? [Laughing] Mam’ Mato [Madlala] called me while I was in camp with the national team at that Cosafa tournament, and told me that she wants to send me to Pirates. I told her straight away that I was not ready to go to Pirates. I was on fire at that Cosafa when we won it, with my phone ringing left and right, but I felt the weight of a move to Pirates was too much for me at the time. Usually, when Mam’ Mato talks, you do as she says because she is a strong lady – but at that time, I found the courage to disagree with her and just told her the truth: ‘Mom, to be honest, I am not ready. I still wanted to build myself at another club’. At that time Platinum Stars, SuperSport United and Pirates were all in the picture but I just felt I was not in a rush for Pirates. My decision to move to Celtic the following year worked out well because I did well there, but I didn’t want to end up becoming comfortable just because I was always guaranteed of playing. In my last season, I made it known that I need to move – and luckily, [then Bidvest Wits coach] Gavin Hunt was interested.

KICK OFF: With the way you played at Wits, did you think a move was always bound to happen regardless of what happened to the club’s franchise?

I knew already that I was leaving before all

these things happened because I have always told myself that I shouldn’t belong at one club – two seasons are enough. I will work hard for the move and that is what has been happening throughout my career.

KICK OFF: Was there an opportunity to go abroad?

Yes, there was overseas interest, and I was supposed to have gone to Besiktas in Turkey.

KICK OFF: So why didn’t you go, because that is a massive team in Turkey?

The money that they wanted to pay me was fine. It was a nice – a big-money move, but you must know that when Dr Irvin Khoza comes around, things change. I went to his office and sat with him. I am sure you know how smart the chairman is. He told me, ‘you know what my boy, you have suffered a lot from Arrows, Celtic and Wits, so now I want to change your life’. My life has changed for sure because there are improvements all over with everything that he said. The chairman then said, ‘we need you here and we need you to give us one or two seasons, please’. I said ‘fine’, because I know I have never made a wrong move in my career and being the prayer warrior that I am, I know the Lord will never ditch me. So, that was the end of Besiktas. Right now, there is still nothing to regret; me and Besiktas are in the past. I can’t look back at the chance of going to Europe that I missed and be thinking otherwise when I have a job to do here at Pirates. I just need to work hard – and maybe, something bigger might come up.

KICK OFF: Would you have been earning more at Besiktas than you do at Pirates? Did your decision to stay in the PSL come down to anything to do with money and how unstable finances in Turkish football can be?

It wasn’t about the money in my case. It was about where my heart wants to go. Money can’t buy you all your happiness. The heart doesn’t

always go for money. I felt I still had one chapter to finish here in the PSL, playing for the ‘Big Three’. You must understand that Pirates is huge around the Cosafa region, and you have no idea how much love I am getting from Namibia by being at Pirates. I knew that in Turkey, at times, the money comes in late as well; plus, my heart was here in any case. I want to write my name in the history books at Pirates.

KICK OFF: Did you support Pirates growing up back home in Namibia?

To tell you the truth, I was a Kaizer Chiefs’ fan but then Pirates always featured in every household. My brothers have always been Buccaneers and my older brother was nicknamed the ‘Midnight Express’ because he was flying on the wing-like Helman Mkhalele. In our room, they had posters of their favourite Pirates players – while on the other end, I had Chiefs. KICK OFF: So how did you handle having all of Chiefs, Pirates and Sundowns after your signature? [Laughing] Nice one. I had four options on the table, which was Besiktas, Chiefs, Pirates and Sundowns. I wasn’t sleeping, to be honest, because I would speak to coach Pitso (Mosimane), and then Gavin (Hunt), and then Madam Mato – and afterwards be asking myself about where I must go. Chiefs went out of the picture because of the transfer ban, which meant it was minus one headache. I spoke to Gavin and told him back then about my offers because I needed advice from him about where my football style would fit. He told me to go with my heart because I am a machine that can play anywhere and I am able to score, assist, defend and play across the frontline. He said, ‘come on boy, this is easy for you because you can go to any team’.

KICK OFF: How are you feeling about the season that you are having?

I know that I am doing great for myself, but I am still not where I want to be. I can still do more. I haven’t reached my targets yet.

KICK OFF: What would those targets be, because you are scoring and assisting in abundance?

I will tell you about my target at the end of the season. Those goals and assists are still not enough for me. In my first season at Wits, my assists were higher than what they are now, so something is not right and I must work much harder. I haven’t reached the level where I want to be. With the players that we have here at Pirates, my number of goals and assists should be higher than ever before. At Pirates, there are greater chances of assisting and scoring, because we always have the ball, but injuries have disturbed us.

KICK OFF: Your move to Pirates has brought you your first trophy in South Africa, the MTN8 …

In as much as it was amazing to win it, I already knew that I was not going to lose this cup. There was no chance I was going to lose out on this one after being beaten in the Telkom Knockout and Nedbank Cup finals before. I was prepared to do anything to win the cup because the team hadn’t won anything in six years. I told myself that I was signed by Pirates to bring back the smiles of the Happy People, so it must start here.

KICK OFF: You should be feeling how heavy the weight of your profile has become now…

The chairman told me that ‘when you play for Pirates, you have bodyguards everywhere’ – and it is true. Everyone in the streets knows you, so those people are your bodyguards. I get recognised by people who don’t even know my car when I stop at the traffic lights. In the malls, it is worse – but unfortunately, I cannot be taking pictures because these are Covid-19 times.

KICK OFF: Covid-19 is also the reason why you haven’t felt the power of The Ghost in the stadium on match day…

That is the sad part because, before Covid-19, I went to watch the Soweto Derby – and sitting up there, I could feel the stands vibrating. Playing in front of that noise is an extra boost that I am yearning for. I want to satisfy the demands of the Pirates’ fans.

KICK OFF: You have the same commitment and drive as your national teammate Peter Shalulile, which is why I ask if this is a Namibian trait?

For us, as Namibians, we are runners and have the energy to never give up by going all the way. We push ourselves to the limit, even if the brain is saying ‘no’; we are carried by our hearts to keep going. You know that ‘never say never’ attitude of wanting to run for everything? This is something that we all have as Namibians at all the clubs here in the PSL – running is in our DNA. - Kick-off