SAD FAREWELL TO THE CLEVER BOYS
Wits are no more as their new owners prepare for a fresh adventure
OUTGOING Bidvest Wits captain and defender Thulani Hlatshwayo had a lump in his throat when he described the incredible six-year stint he’s spent at the recently sold club.
It’s been a turbulent six-month period for South African football, thanks to the coronavirus pandemic. But more misery was added when the oldest club in the Premier Soccer League (PSL) announced that they had sold their status ahead of the new season.
The Clever Boys sold their top-tier status to Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila due to financial constraints, forcing job losses to players, technical team, administrators and staff.
The 99 year Wits chapter closed when the final whistle blew after Wits defeated Polokwane City 3-1 to finish fourth on the Premiership standings last Saturday.
“It’s was a sad feeling when they guys played their last game against Polokwane. There were a lot of emotions around the team and everyone,” Hlatshwayo said during an interview with the members of the South African Football Journalist Association.
“I’ve been here for six years. So, when we played the last match, it wasn’t a good mood nor space to be in.”
In 2017, Hlatshwayo hoisted the club’s first ever league title after a 95-year-wait, while earlier, in the same season, they had scooped the MTN8 Cup.
Granted that they were brought down to earth the next season after chopping and changing of personnel, but coach Gavin Hunt’s troops still brought silverware to the club’s trophy cabinet again when they won the Telkom Knockout.
But all that success, and all their history, will gradually become a distant memory that will lose value as there’ll be no generation that will carry the legacy going into the future.
“I’ve had a good journey with Bidvest Wits, coming from Ajax Cape Town,” Hlatshwayo said.
“There was a season that we missed out on the title to Pirates, while I was Ajax, but those moments made me gain experience.”
He continued: “The league title that I won at Wits was my first trophy. And I am grateful that the team was interested in me and invested. All I can say is that I appreciate everything that the club has done. I am happy that I chose Wits when I came back home after leaving at a young age.”
But while players such as ‘Tyson’, who’s already reported to have joined hometown side Orlando Pirates ahead of the new season, are guaranteed jobs from next month, sadly, not the same can be said for some of his teammates who’ll have to search for new clubs.
However, kudos should go to the Wits’ professionalism as they ensured they didn’t drop their heads after the restart – with their title aspirations dashed by the 1-0 defeat to Black Leopards in the penultimate round of the season.
At the end though, the Clever Boys closed their chapter in topflight football in fourth on the standings, seven points behind champions Mamelodi Sundowns who snatched the crown on the final day.
“We were motivated to finish as high as we can. The other plan was to also win the Nedbank Cup. We only lost two games in the bubble. But we also wanted to put the new owners in a CAF competition next season,” Hlatshwayo said.