The story behind the scenes

Tshakhuma’s misery compounded

Tshakhuma’s mountainous problems don’t appear to be easing up after they were handed a transfer ban by the world football governing body, FIFA, from registering players after the unfair dismissal of Zimbabwean international goalkeeper Edmore Sibande, who they signed after parting ways with Golden Arrows last season.

The club were found guilty of unfair dismissal of the player and were handed a ban, effective immediately for the next three consecutive registration periods. In addition, they are facing a possible player revolt as reported in local media.

According to the Sowetan, TTM players are threatening a strike over unpaid salaries when the Motsepe Foundation Championship resumes in January. With the club not being able to register any new players until at least July next year, they face the possibility of having walk-overs given to them.

It appears that Jampies’ case against TTM is one of many, with the club seemingly unable to avoid controversy.

Jampies no stranger to controversy either

In April, the Dispute Resolution Chamber of the National Soccer League (NSL) dismissed Jampies’ case against another of his former clubs, Baroka FC.

Jampies accused Baroka of unfairly terminating his contract, which was due to end in 2023. It was terminated last year for misconduct due to him being absent from work for three days without permission. The resolution chamber dismissed the case with costs.

Similarly, in 2016, Jampies was released by then PSL outfit Bloemfontein Celtic following a disciplinary hearing for breaching the club’s code of conduct. At the time, however, Jampies revealed that it was, in fact, he that requested to be released from the club due to a lack of game-time.

Since bursting onto the scene with Santos in 2011, the veteran fullback has enjoyed stints with nine different clubs in the elite division as well as in the second tier.

What is Jampies’ current reality?

“My aim is not to milk TTM or to get them to do anything. My only aim is to make sure that they do what is right. Look at it now, it’s Christmas, I can’t buy anything for my house. I lost my car in the first two months of employment. I had to sell every piece of my furniture just to get myself from Louis Trichardt to Cape Town with my family.

“It was difficult, but luckily I had a supportive family who helped me where they could. But now any human, there is only that much that they can do for you, they also have lives to live.

“Linda Mntambo, a good friend of mine, has helped me out a little bit… actually so many players that I can’t even mention. But

that is against who I am. As a man, you hate asking, but in this situation, what does one do? You have to put your pride in your pocket and try by all means to survive. In a mental capacity, I am not well.

“My mother has recommended I go to a psychologist to deal with what has happened to me. It was a total disaster and there’s no truth. The best thing for a player to have is a club that values and treasures you and always has the truth for you,” Jampies, who is clearly suffering, shared with Soccer Laduma.

Where does SAFPU fit in?

The South African Football Players Union, a body established to defend players in situations like these, would undertake a matter like Jampies’ against TTM. However, SAFPU President Tebogo Monyai confirmed to the Siya crew that the player, despite initially bringing his matter to the Union, decided that he would withdraw the matter as it would be handled by an external lawyer.

“With Jampies, from what I know when our former Deputy Secretary General (Calvin) ‘Salter’ Motloung was dealing with that case at the time, I think Jampies pulled out his case with us and took it back. He said that his lawyer would deal with the case. Because while we were busy with the case, he came to the Union and

said no, he prefers that his lawyer deals with the case. Sometimes

this is the situation that we meet with players. They come to you with the matter, then an agent or a lawyer comes to them and says, ‘We’ll assist you with this case as quickly as possible.’ It’s not a matter of being assisted as quickly as possible, because remember the process is not held by SAFPU or by the lawyer, the process is held by the DRC at the Premier Soccer League depending on how many cases they are handling at the time before this case. So, I think maybe Jampies became impatient and the other thing, it cost the Union money while we started with the case. There’s lawyers involved that we are paying and now the player pulls out the case and goes to the private side, where he is going to pay money from his pocket to the very same lawyer, while at the Union he doesn’t pay a cent. So, it’s a little bit of a difficult issue because we have dealt with other players who have an issue of unpaid salaries there and they were paid their salaries and others were dismissed by the club and they wanted to terminate their contracts, but we managed to reinstate them and their contracts are running,” Monyai said.