You must change your ways

“When someone mentions Siya, I become very emotional…”

In a surprise January/February transfer window turn of events, Thamsanqa Sangweni returned to Chippa United. The 31-year-old midfielder is on a mission to revive his career after spending months cooling his heels at home, regularly checking his mobile phone for any missed calls or new text messages, with nothing coming in the way of employment offers or even mere invites for trials. Therefore, itching for a return to the pitch, Sangweni took the decision to travel to the capital of the Kingdom of Eswatini towards the end of last year to link up with Mbabane Highlanders, a stay he had to cut short due to this new opportunity that (finally!) presented itself. In this interview with Soccer Laduma’s Masebe Qina, the Dondotha-born player admits to have erred in terms of off-field behaviour in the past, mistakes which he promises to have learnt from. Furthermore, Sangweni opens up about his struggles when he stopped getting an income and how grateful he is to Siviwe “Chippa” Mpengesi and coach Dan Malesela for giving him another chance, in an era where second chances are as rare as hen’s teeth.

Masebe Qina: Look who’s back at Chippa United!

Thamsanqa Sangweni: I am very happy to be back at Chippa United and I would like to thank the chairman, Mr. Chippa (Mpengesi), for giving me another opportunity at the club. I would like to stay with the team for long this time and be a legend of the club. I want to be faithful to the club and repay their faith in me for taking me back when I returned to the club. I would also like to thank coach Dan (Malesela) for giving me another chance in the team and everyone who has contributed in me coming back to the club and believed that there’s something I can still do for the club. It is my aim to work hard for the team and be loyal to the team.

MQ: Take us through the process before pen was put to paper.

TS: I have always been in touch with coach Dan, until I asked him if it was possible for me to return to the club. He and the people that he works with agreed for me to re-join the club. The boss of the club I was with in Eswatini (Mbabane Highlanders) was also not difficult and he didn’t block my move. Yes, he wasn’t happy that I was leaving his club so early, but he understood that I wanted to come back to continue my football here.

MQ: Before your move to Highlanders, you struggled to get a club in Mzansi. Did you, at any stage, regret leaving the Chilli Boys in the first place?

TS: Mfo (Brother), life has ups and downs. There are things that I regret and there are those which I don’t regret but (about which I’m) just consoling myself to say that maybe God wanted me to come across them in life. But I’m ready to take my chance.

MQ: How had life been after you left Chippa in 2019?

TS: Impilo azange ibe (Life wasn’t) easy, bafo (brother). It’s like that anywhere – if you stop working, the income also stops coming in. Life can never be the same when you are not working. I have had challenges, but I can’t say that I regret or I don’t regret anything. All that I can say now is that I am grateful that I am back at the club and looking forward to continuing from where I left off in doing well for the team. Like I say, life has its ups and downs and I am happy that I didn’t lose focus after everything that happened.

MQ: Did you lose any of the things you worked hard for when you didn’t have an income?

TS: That’s why I mentioned earlier that when you are no longer working, life cannot be the same. I hope you understand what I am saying.

MQ: Let’s move on then. How did you get the move to Eswatini when you went there?

TS: My representative, Bra Ali (Tlhoaele), organised the move for me and he is one person I am very close to in football and he is like a father to me. The chairman of Highlanders, Ally Kgomongwe, spoke to me about joining his club and, as someone who had been training on my own, I accepted the offer and hoped that a PSL club would sign me again. Unfortunately, no one was willing to help me. I discussed the move to Eswatini with my family and they

were happy for me. I thank my family for the support they gave me since I had been sitting at home and without a club. I had a wonderful time there and everyone there made me feel at home, from the chairman, coaches and all the people I came across. It was a wonderful experience, even though I wasn’t there for long.

MQ: Why do you think PSL clubs were not keen to sign you despite your obvious talent and quality?

TS: I wouldn’t have known what people thought about me, but to be honest, there are things I was doing off the field in the past which disrupted me from doing what I needed to do when I got back to the field. I now understand that in life, there are things that you have to experience before you fully understand what life is all about. Sometimes we as soccer players tend to do things that we think affect only us, only to realise later on that those things affect other people as well. I’m talking about people who are close to you and those you are surrounded by. Fortunately, I have been in contact with coach Dan and it’s been like that for a while. I remember there was a time when he also didn’t have a job and he was advising me. I’m not sure, but maybe some of the things I used to do affected me, but in terms of the ability and playing, I have never had doubts about myself.

MQ: Thami, have you had any disciplinary issues in your career?

TS: That’s why I said earlier that sometimes you have to go through some things in your career, but what is good is to realise when you have made a mistake and know what you should do and not do. It’s all about growing up and we always can’t see things the same way.

MQ: What are those things you went through?

TS: As people, we go through a lot of different things in life and what is important is to distinguish between what to do and what not to do. You can’t keep going back to the wrong things that you did. You must change your ways. You know what you didn’t do right in the past and a change is important as a human being.

MQ: Does alcohol have to do with what you’re talking about?

TS: No. Let me just say that my advice to soccer players is that football and alcohol don’t go hand-in-hand. You must be careful of the friends you choose to have. Some people don’t get a second chance and you have to be wise about people you surround yourself with.

MQ: That’s good advice. You are 31 years old, meaning you aren’t getting any younger, Thami. Are you promising the fans out there that all they will see is you performing for the team week in and week out and nothing else?

TS: All I can say is that I am back at the club to work hard. The team is expecting good results and (for) us as the players to do well when we are given a chance to play. If I do well, there’s a possibility that the team will also do well. But it’s not about me as an individual but the team and anything is possible in this game.

MQ: In giving you a second chance, what did the chairman say he expects from you?

TS: We didn’t have a long conversation, but as someone who had been at the club before, I know what is expected of me. All that is important is to work hard and know what I am here for. Everything else will come second.

MQ: You looked like you were signing with Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila FC at some point, as you even had the club booking a flight ticket for you. What happened with that deal? TS: Sometimes you will never know how some of these things happen and, like you rightfully said, the deal looked certain, but when I was about to sign, it fell through. I really don’t know what happened there and I even spoke to the (then) boss of the club (Lawrence Mulaudzi) and everything looked fine. But those are the other things that help someone grow and we learn from such things. TTM weren’t the only club that did that and there were other teams that did the same, but I am grateful that God has opened the doors for me and here I am now at Chippa again.

MQ: How was the support from your older brother, the legendary Siyabonga Sangweni, at the time you were not playing?

TS: You see, when someone mentions Siya, I become very emotional because he is one person who has been very supportive in my career and the decisions that I take. He is always by my side and I appreciate him for that. My other siblings have also been supportive, and I am very happy about that.

MQ: Thank you so much for speaking to us so openly and we wish you everything of the best.

TS: Thank you very much, and I thank everyone who has made it possible for me to return to the PSL with Chippa United and all those that I might not have mentioned.