From footballer to security supervisor… Pride is going to kill them

The tragedy with the blissful nature of ignorance, coupled with the passage of time, is that not many will remember Thabiso Hlalele the footballer. This even despite the fact he turned out for a number of clubs in the PSL, having started his career at Free State Stars and going on to blossom at Jomo Cosmos. As a defender, he used to shepherd attacking players away from dangerous positions on the field, providing the much-needed

Lunga Adam: So, what is Thabiso Hlalele doing to keep the wolf from the door these days?

Thabiso Hlalele:

He’s a supervisor of one of the security companies, but I can’t mention that security company now. He’s looking forward to opening his own company, but before I open my own company, I have to learn first about what’s happening in the security industry, you understand? I hope in two years’ time I will be able to open my own company becaus eI ’m still saving money towards that goal and to have all those things that are needed in this industry. Someone will ask me, why security? Why can’t I do coaching stuff because I was playing (football for) so long?

LA: And what’s your answer to that question?

TH:

No, man, I just wanna change my career kancane (a little bit), and shift a little bit from soccer because I tried so many teams and I didn’t get a response from them. I don’t know what’s happening. Now I have D License of SAFA and then everything just stopped like that, so I don’t know what’s hapso pening. I was applying to many teams, but I didn’t get a response. It seems like now football is about knowing someone… you know, lots of stuff. Even though someone says to you letlo jana fela, so ho jwalo wa bona (it’s like that, you see).

LA: Don’t you think there are limited opportunities within footthere’s ball, though, because just so many of you as former players vying for coaching jobs?

TH:

I agree with you. But when you do something else, people will be like, “Wow! How can you choose security out of all this stuff?” We can’t be soccer coaches monna kaofela (all of us). That is why I’m saying I have to learn, I have to learn security and then open my own company. It’s a good thing. I’m enjoying myself here, no stress because I put the bread on the table so my family can eat, rather than sitting there and thinking about “eish, hayi khona, ngidlile imali (I’ve misspent the money)” and stuff.

LA: So, how long have you been on the job?

TH:

You’ll be surprised… I’ve been here for, I think, six months now. The funny thing is after doing that course of security, one of the bosses said to me, “You just need to be a supervisor (straight away).” I don’t know, maybe… ha, ha… I think he saw the discipline, you understand? Discipline, communication, dedication. I don’t know, man… I was so surprised.

LA: What are your duties? What does a supervisor at a security company do?

TH:

I wake up (at) 04h00, at 05h00 I go to work. I come back at 18h00 and then rest with my family. In terms of the duties, it’s like a coach, man. You monitor the people you work with and you make sure ukuthi izinto zabelungu zi right (that the white people’s stuff is in good order). You make sure abelungu they don’t get robbed and people don’t steal. So, you monitor all of that, and I’m good in that, ha, ha, because whatever I do it’s like I’m coaching. I’m coaching my players.

LA: So, in essence you are the Jomo Sono of the security industry…

TH:

Ha, ha, ha, you can say that, my man. But I don’t want to say Jomo Sono because bitso la ka (my name) must be there. Do you still remember how many teams I played for in the PSL? Yho, several teams, man! Moving from one province to another province. But now, most of the people (only) recognised me when I was playing for Jomo Cosmos. I told them, you know, I started football at Free State Stars, I went to Hellenic, (Manning) Rangers, Golden Arrows, Black Leopards, Cosmos and I retired at Polokwane City. You know, so many teams, so much experience! Haai monna ke na *

le experience e ngata ya (I have so much experience when it comes to) life. I was young when I started at Free State Stars, around 18 years, and you know when people see me these days, they think I’m still young. Ah, I’m not young! I turned 42 years on 14 December. But I’m still running like a youngster, my man. Put me on the field together with these youngsters of today… ah, bona (look), pound for pound they won’t match me because now I keep fit. I play for a Sunday League kasi legends team and we play there in Botshabelo, Bloemfontein, Thaba Nchu. Ba2cada made a league of Masters from 35 years upwards and we secured first spot there. So, I’m still keeping myself busy in soccer.

LA: That’s good. How are you surviving on the salary you are currently on as you might have been used to more during your playing days?

TH:

Before I went into security, I sat down with my wife and we talked about it. My wife is working. Well, if she was the only one working, it was going to be difficult. She said to me I must do something. I then told myself I was going to make a plan and enrol for a security course, I don’t care whoever is gonna say what, as long as I’m gonna put chelete (money) on the table at the end of the month. So, we sat down and talked about this thing me and my wife, and the rest is history. Now I’m working. Whatever salary that I’m getting, I’m happy because we’ve still got to survive at home. I just told myself gore (that) let the past be the past and nna (me), in life I’m moving on, rather than going to the tavern and drink and stress, come back early in the morning, do whatever I do and all the time I’m smoking. Whatever I’m smoking, it’s killing me, you understand? It’s tough, my man, but hey, we have to survive at the end of the day. No matter what people say, but we have to survive.

LA: A lot of ex-pros don’t think the way you do. They’d rather sit at home depressed. What would be your message to them?

TH:

I can only say they must stop being choosy because now it’s gonna kill you at the end of the day because of people who are busy looking at what you are doing. At the end of the day, you have to survive and be okay in life. Now ke tsamaya ka (These days I’m security for his last line of defence. However, as it so often happens, life took a nasty turn after retirement from the game due to injury, and today the Botshabeloborn man finds himself working as a supervisor at a security company. To have to come to terms with such a dramatic turn in circumstances, as it were, takes bravery, focus and fortitude, something a lot of former players struggle to grapple with when the time comes. How is the 42-year-old adapting to his new lease on life? Read on as he tells Soccer Laduma’s Lunga Adam all about it in this interview. driving) Opel Corsa, but now I can go wherever I wanna go at whatever time, rather than driving those Golf V, Golf VI like I was doing long time ago. That life ifedile (is gone). In life, you have to move on. Whoever is going to talk and say Thabiso is broke, he’s driving Opel Corsa… you don’t have nothing! You don’t have nothing, my friend. You are sitting there, you see me waking up and going to work, but I put money on the table to support mosadi wa ka le bana baka (my wife and kids). So, these football guys who are choosychoosy, pride is going to kill them. At the end of the day, those people that were there during the good days in football are the same people who are going to take photos of them and laugh at them when they are broke and not doing anything. In life, you don’t do things for other people, you do it for yourself. When you are happy, you are happy. I’m happy, my man. I’m still the Thabiso that you know, the same guy. Bona, the more I get old, the more I look like a young boy, ha, ha, ha, because I’m taking care of myself. And thanks to my wife, man. Yho! Yho! Yho! My wife and my kids were there for me when I needed them most.

LA: Ag, please, we know your wife was going to kick you out of the house if you didn’t go out and find a job to support the family, ha, ha, ha.

TH:

Definitely! Because look, some women, once you go broke after football, they will remind you that, “During your playing days, you were doing this and that, and now you are broke and you want me to lift you up. Huh? Mina ngikhathele bhuti, ngiyahamba (I’m sick and tired, brother, I’m out).” You see? So, you’ve now lost football, lost wife, lost family, and the frustration will be high. What are you going to do? Are you going to (go to) the tavern and drink instead of proving yourself wrong, ukuthi (to say) I’m going to find work no matter how hard it is and work for my kids?

LA: By the way, how has the community reacted to your change from footballer to security man?

TH:

Eish, I don’t wanna lie, you will never really know because today, someone will motivate you, but you don’t know what he is saying about you the minute he is out of sight. Maybe he’s saying, “He’s a security now, he has come back to the community”, and all of that. That’s why ke re (I’m saying) whatever you do, do it for yourself, don’t do it for people. It was hard for me to become a security, but I told myself I’m going to do this until I have my own company. I know people will have their own thoughts about what you are doing, but you are going to learn and learn until you own a security company and become a boss, and then hire the very same people who were laughing at you. Tough life, my man. Tough. Nna a ke batli ko bua mmaka (I don’t want to lie), my life was tough.

LA: When did you retire? TH:

2014/15, and I was playing for Polokwane City. I had a serious muscle injury, and every time I recovered and became fit again, that muscle would trouble me again. It was so much pain.

LA: So, if you only secured this job six months ago, how have you been surviving all along?

TH:

What I can tell you, ngwaneso, is that I had some money saved up, which helped a lot for a while, but it came to a point where I had to sell my car in order to survive in life. Then my wife also supported me because she’s still working and has a decent job. She helped me a lot, I don’t wanna lie. She’s assisting me to this day. Also, when I did something, like coach a team for a while ekasi, they would give me something. There was individual training as well because I had a gym facility where people would come with the aim of losing weight, and so I was getting money from that. That was until I decided on this thing. I must say though that it was tough sitting at home doing nothing sometimes while my wife was working. In life, you meet people who come up with empty promises. Some ba o batla (want you), but they think your services are going to cost an arm andaleg,yettheyneveraskhowmuch are you willing to earn to help them? They just judge you from looking at you and think this guy is expensive. Sometimes they tell themselves, “This guy wayi kutlwa (‘feels’ himself - i.e. is arrogant), so we don’t need him.” So, it’s tough, my man. But I told myself that you know what, I’m going to do this. Whoever is saying whatever, I’m going to do this until I get whatever I wantinlifeandthenIcansay,“Yes,I made it!”

LA: Great. TH:

But I’m available for any team that wants me to coach them because I can’t let all this experience that I have go to waste.

LA: Evidently, life after football is no bed of roses. This could be why we see a lot of legends falling into a state of depression or drinking their lives away or, even worse, taking their own lives in some instances.

TH:

Hey, man, it’s tough, I don’t wanna lie. Yho! Yho! Yho! But killing myself, never. Maybe if my wife had said she doesn’t want me anymore because I’m broke, I would have gone to some remote part of KZN to go look for a job. When I got there, I wouldn’t tell them my name is Thabiso, I would conjure up a new name like, “I’m Mdandala”, ha, ha, ha. Life is tough, man. I would just go to a place where people don’t know me and start a new life. On a serious note, football is a short career and it needs you to plan properly. We need to plan also for the boys coming up and teach them about life, depending on whether they will take the advice you give them or not.

LA: We admire your positive attitude and how you were able to face up to the reality of life after retirement from the game. Many can learn from you.

TH:

Watseba keng (You know what), I still remember the owner of Black Leopards, the one and only David Thidiela, once telling me that he was once a security guard for (Kaizer) Chiefs. He was telling me about those stories and how he eventually ended up being head of security there and eventually having a team of his own. It was tough for him. So, why can’t we start our own legacy? Today you see someone being this big person he is, but you don’t know where he comes from. You only see him when he has money. Some other people, yho, they had to hustle hard to get to where they are.

LA: Thanks for sharing your story with us, Thabiso. Best of luck with your ambition of one day being your own boss.

TH:

Hola-hola, my man! ❐