Coaches I’ve worked with: I feel today is the day…

I just hope and wish that my last column had an impact and changed the way people look at our coaching talent and how we should make use of it, for the benefit of our football. There are decisions that need to be made in order for us to get back to where we belong as a footballing nation. It pains me to see our car getting off the road when we have capable drivers who can do a better job of steering us in the right direction. I spoke about coach Shakes Mashaba and Serame Letsoaka and the impact they both had on my career. Never did I imagine myself as a coach one day, but these guys, and many others, planted a seed and mentored me into the coach that I am today. They equipped me with something that no one can ever take away from me, my qualifications and knowledge. I’m forever grateful to Bra Conti Kubheka for planting the coaching seed in me because he is the one who really persuaded me into coaching. When I started my coaching career, the last thing I had in mind was having a coaching instructor by the name of Augustine Makalakalane one day. I’m not even ashamed to tell everyone of the impact this man had on my journey. Yes, he was my opponent when he was still playing for Jomo Cosmos and we were teammates in the national team, just like Serame, and the journey these guys have travelled is unbelievable and marvellous. You can’t help but feel proud of them, looking at how well they’ve done for themselves and the country after hanging up their boots. When I sat in that class, I had goosebumps when I saw that almost 80% of the learners were former players and his former teammates. The first two days were so funny because we had never been exposed to that kind of a set-up with Augie. We all knew him as a former teammate and now we are his students, with him telling us how to coach! He handled the situation so professionally and made it easy for all of us to adapt. He gave no preferential treatment whether you played with or against him, we were all equal. I must say that was a coaching education exercise that really enhanced my life. He really changed my life because I didn’t have hope in my career and didn’t trust myself, but after a few sessions with someone I played against and with, spent a lot of time away from football with, I really got inspired because he was now my instructor. Who, out there, can stand against the will of God? Why are we seemingly standing against God’s will to liberate our football from the European shackles? We were so many in just that class alone, let alone the long list of other former players with coaching qualifications that are sidelined. Despite all of that, people like Augie continue to do the great job that God has sent them to do and some of us are the products of their good job. Personally, I have not said anything about Augie or even went up to him to thank him for his contribution, but I feel today is the day. Thank you very much for everything you have done for my coaching career, bro. I really appreciate everything and you know why I am saying this because you’ve also been part of my coaching journey and played an important role in it. You gave me a second chance in my life by playing a role in helping me find something to do with the Beautiful Game beyond my playing days. I never imagined myself as a coach, but here I am today, thanks to people like you, Augie. I’m really grateful for everything because if you guys didn’t push me enough, I probably wouldn’t be who and where I am today. We just can’t afford to lose people like you in our football because you have an important role to play. Now I can also teach coaches because of all the hard work that you guys invested in me. I have a couple of players, whose names I won’t mention, that attended my CAF Teacher’s Course at the Nike Stadium in Soweto and I took them through their paces. We were doing that course with the Dutch Football Association. It is sad that we seem to lead by emotions because we don’t hear anything about Augustine. We don’t even see him anywhere. Where is Augustine? Is there nothing he can really do to help our football become better, even though he’s produced coaches through his experience and teachings? I really have a problem with the number of people who come into our country, bring their own philosophy for our young kids to adapt to and we see nothing wrong with that. This happens while we are busy sidelining people who know and understand the South African football philosophy. Reviving our football needs people of Augie’s quality and experience. I really hope that SAFA would allow us to, through our Technical Director Walter Steenbok, run a programme that can speak to South African football and bring all the stakeholders that I have been talking about to have them help this programme. That would be a great programme to prepare our youngsters for the future and make sure that they become top athletes. I need to engage the powers that be here at Soccer Laduma to see if they can sponsor this initiative, as one of the publications that are passionate about development of our football and taking care of our communities. I would like to see if we wouldn’t be smiling, at the end of the day, once that programme reached its maturity.