Despite personal tragedy, Lingwati fights for promotion to PSL

JOHANNESBURG: Thato Lingwati is driven by more than football reasons to lead Jomo Cosmos back into top-flight football after two years in the national first division.

The 25-year-old’s daughter passed away on Friday morning, two days before he led Ezenkosi into a dramatic 2-2 draw with Black Leopards in the promotion playoffs at Vosloorus Stadium on Sunday.

Leopards looked destined to be returning to the elite league with their commanding performance against Cosmos, leading 2-1 after beating Platinum Stars 1-0 in the opening match of the playoffs. But Lingwati had other ideas, popping up in the last seconds of optional time to rescue the match for Ezenkosi and make the three-team mini league into a contest.

“It took at a lot for me to come and play against Leopards on Sunday,” Lingwati said. “That goal was a blessing for me, it helped the team get a point and it meant a lot for me emotionally because of what I am going through. I was doing it for her. I came here because I had to be professional. The team also needed me.”

Lingwati grieved properly yesterday, and then quickly focused on the job at hand which is to get a win over Dikwena tonight at Moruleng Stadium. These playoffs are a therapeutic exercise for Lingwati, offering him a distraction from what he is going through personally by focusing on taking Ezenkosi back into the Premier Division. Lingwati was part of the team that was relegated to the first division two years ago.

“It’s been tough bra, I won’t lie,” Lingwati said. “It’s been tough. Here in the NFD, you have to grind and grind. That’s why we had to get an equaliser against Leopards. They were running away with it. If they had won this game, it was over for us. We had to fight, get a draw and take it from there.”

Lingwati was at the club for five years before he was given the armband in January following the departure of Linda Mntambo to Chippa United. In his time at Cosmos, he has had a number of fights with Sono, who doesn’t mince his words.

“(But) I took it in a positive light. I knew that him fighting with me is a sign that ‘boy you have it in you. You just have to show your full potential’.

“I would like to say thanks to him, Dr Sono has really been there for me. When he gave me the armband he told me you can carry the team on your shoulders and lead this team to the PSL since the captains have left us.”