Where are they now?

Jack Chamangwana left a legacy at Kaizer Chiefs, winning trophies galore as a player-coach while bringing through some of the legends of the South African game that would go on to have a huge impact for both club and country. He is very critical of the pl

Jack Chamangwana has his say on the players of today

“I DON’T THINK THEY UNDERSTAND THE MEANING OF A DERBY.”

Jack Chamangwana is no ordinary name in the Kaizer Chiefs history books. The man nicknamed “Black Stone” became a player-coach at Chiefs aged just 31, two years after his arrival in 1986 – already well into his peak – from his Malawian boyhood club Limba Leaf Wanderers. Handed the responsibility of both playing and coaching, he paved the way for Doctor Khumalo to establish himself as a midfield superstar, never shy to be both supportive and harsh towards the youngster. Famously, he told the midfielder “not to be a sissy” in the way he plays. “I have always been an honest human being from the time that I was a player,” he tells KICK OFF. “There was never a time when I didn’t give my all when on the field, just like there was never a time when I didn’t tell my teammates the truth. I love simple, hard work.” “Black Stone” also played a key shadow role in Lucas Radebe being recruited by Chiefs, tipping off club boss Kaizer Motaung after having spotted the legendary defender playing in the Bophuthatswana Soccer League (BOPSOL) for ICL Birds. Chamangwana left a footprint in Bophuthwatswana, where he coached Mmabatho Kicks and Stocks Bird United prior to heading back home in 1997 from where he immediately suggested Amakhosi sign Patrick Mabedi. Such is the respect bestowed on Chamangwana that his peers still hold him in high esteem today, with former defender Mark Tovey describing him as the best commander that he played with at the back. Recently back in South Africa from Malawi, where he is now based, Chamangwana has plenty of nostalgic moments about the years he spent at Chiefs. Chamangwana arrived at Naturena midway through 1986 and played as a centre-back having been recommended by his fellow countrymen Ricky Phuka and Fannel Munthali, who had both joined Amakhosi the previous year. At the time of joining Chiefs he was already an experienced central defender who had been captaining the national team for eight years. Having already been a playercoach back home, he was twice handed the reins at Naturena and finished his second spell as a league winner in 1989 after overseeing the tail end of that campaign. “I recently met people that I last saw when I left Chiefs and it brought back memories about the brotherhood that we had in the team, which oiled the culture of knowing that we are playing for Chiefs and knowing very well what all these fans deserve. We all had that fight in us,” he recalls. Chamangwana feels some of that passion and desire has disappeared from the game, pointing to the dreary Soweto Derby in early March as a case in point. “Nowadays, it seems it’s all casual ... even if someone makes a mistake, it’s just, ‘OK’. In our days, we knew how to push each other to the limit as a team, we would shout at each other until the end of the game, after which we were all brothers hugging each other because we wanted to win. “Nowadays, it is different. The hunger of these players is questionable, I don’t think they understand the meaning of a derby. I don’t think they understand that in this fixture they are playing against a rival. “It’s the game of the year. If you play well against Pirates, you then have a print out that helps you send a message to the chairman to say ‘I want more money’. “This is the game to show yourself and show the world that this is who you are, as this game is shown throughout Africa. Based on the pathetic performance that I saw in the last derby, I really don’t know if these guys know the meaning of a derby. “I don’t think these players are being fair to the supporters who are paying for transport and the gate fees. The fans don’t deserve that.” Chamangwana continues: “At Chiefs you can only count four or five players who put in the effort. Some of these players think they are life players for Chiefs. This is the time when you need to make changes. It is better to have a player who is hard working for the team and showing the fight than those who are luxurious.” After a coaching spell with Young Africans in Tanzania, Chamangwana has moved back to boyhood club Mighty Wanderers – where his brother George is chairman – to work as a technical director, a position he feels he is more suited to. “In my role I am more involved with the youth programme to oversee the scouting of the young players, which I think I’m more suited to because there’s less pressure,” he says. “Everyday I am with the coaches of the senior team because we plan together and I am there to watch the training. I then talk to them after the sessions when we have evaluations.”