Huh? Interesting!

after Jomo started talking about Jabu every time when we were about to face Chiefs. At that time, he hadn’t converted me to a manmarker. That was until that week in camp, where he said to me, “You and Jabu are close.” I told him, “No, we’re close because we played in the juniors together (against each other), when I was playing for Wits.” Then he said, “According to me, you and Jabu are one and the same thing.” But I’m different from Jabu. Me, my strike… I’d tell Jomo that

I was not coming to the game until I got my money. It has nothing to do with Jabu. Jabu, when he gets his money, uyalova (he absconds). When you say you’re going to give me my money on the 5th, on the 5th I want it. As for whether we’re playing Chiefs on the 7th, I don’t care. I think I played a few games against the big teams because that is where ngangimbamba khona (I would get him). I would tell him, “No, I’m not coming.” That time, you don’t want the whole money. Maybe he owes you R100 000, and you say, “Just give me R15 000 so I could be able to deposit for a house.” That’s how I bought my first house. He’d say, “I’m going to give it to you after the game.” He’d live up to that promise once, and on the second occasion he’d renege on the agreement and that’s when I’d go absent from games. And he’d never tell the truth that Sammy is on strike, he’d say uSammy uyahlupha (is being troublesome). But to show that I was not troublesome, there was no way he’d protect me for eight years, there was somewhere where he had to say, “You know what, gatvol, gatvol! But he knew my worth and that I was being troublesome for a reason… I wanted my money. I never had a situation of a drinking problem until I got to Cosmos.

It was all due to frustration. You had a signing-on fee, but you’d get R2 000, sometimes R5 000 when he was in a better mood. Eish, it used to frustrate me, and people used to say sidlala ngemali (we are wasting money). They would as k,“Hawu monna, why o kasa reki ntlu (don’t you buy a house)?” They didn’t understand the dynamics, that I was being owed R100 000, and I got it in instalments of R5 000 and R2 000. At times, we would be given takkies and he would say, “I have bought these for you.” To tell the honest truth, I have never drank as much as

I did when I played for Cosmos. During month-end, the debit orders would kick in and you had not even been paid. You’d get your money on the 9th. They’d give you cheques and all of the players would be in competition to get to the bank first. You had to literally step on that accelerator, otherwise you wouldn’t get anything. I remember the bank we used, they used to call it the Bank of Lisbon. You’d get there, and only six or seven players would get their money, and for the rest, the bank would say, “Your budget is used up for the day.” Can you imagine? Then after that, it was off to drinking for me. Even my wife would attest to that, that Sammy started changing when he was playing for Cosmos. I was like, “You know what, I don’t go to nightclubs, but I have to buy beer for myself here at home because of the frustration.” At SuperSport, you arrive today, you sign today, and tomorrow you get your money. The salary is always on time. Sometimes this person would make a joke about it, saying, “I’ll see if I’ll be able to pay you early.” How do you say that? I lost so many things because the debit orders were bouncing. I was lucky nje ukuthi every competition money, I’d go and save it. But now I hear stories that a lot of guys lost houses and cars. Yes, I lost my cars, but that’s a luxury, but a house, a shelter… it was important to me. As I’m speaking to you today, I’m owning houses. Even though I don’t have money, I invest in property. The kids, when they look back, they must see that yes, uBaba (Dad) lost things and he doesn’t have money, but when he got the opportunity, he hustled for us.

Sammy, let’s put a pause on it. Some fascinating insight into the life of a run-of-the-mill South African footballer back in the day. We’ll reconnect in the first edition of next year, on 11 January. Enjoy Christmas with your kith and kin, and please, please, don’t drink like you’re in your Jomo Cosmos era.

Ha, ha, ha, thanks, brother. Chat to you soon.