When Knowledge was power at Naturena…

It’s a damning mark of disapproval on the club’s recruitment policy that the Kaizer Chiefs squads of years gone by were blessed with strikers, and so goalscoring was never really a problem. The current status quo begs answers. This much is evidenced by the fact that to this day, fans still reminisce about the exploits of Shane McGregor and Fani Madida, two frontmen who were responsible for many an opposition defender shivering in their boots. This was in the late 1980s right through to the ’90s. Not to mention a sharpshooter in the mould of Marks Maponyane, who, throughout his decade-long stay at the Glamour Boys, made scoring goals look like a Sunday outing. The football gods would later, yet again, bless the club with more quality up f ront, this time in the form of Pollen Ndlanya and Marc Batchelor, to mention just two. These were two number nines who threw themselves about in the box, and most importantly, were all too aware that for all the flashy moves that the midfielders were adored by the fans for, theirs was simply to put the ball in the back of the net. Granted, the South African fan loves the odd shibobo or show-me-your-number, and this was provided to the Khosi Nation in abundance by stars such as Ace Ntsoelengoe,

Shakes Kungwane and Scara Ngobese. All of them, sadly, are late, and even more tragic, it seems the creativity that was a fabric that held Mzansi football followed them to the grave. But story for another day. The real point is, goalscoring, despite it being an artform in itself, is the part of the game that 'seals the deal’. A football kissing the net screams, at least in the eyes of the fan, 'that’s what I came here for!’ This should explain why Collins Mbesuma will always be remembered more for his spell at Amakhosi than his time at Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates, where he tried to rediscover his goalscoring magic, to no avail. In recent years, as the state of mediocrity began creeping in at the country’s most-supported club, the quality of marksmen brought in has been questionable, with all due respect. None of these signings had the same impact as, say, a Knowledge Musona. Strangely enough, the Zimbabwean remains the last striker at Naturena that had that X-factor. With the likes of Ranga Chivaviro and Jasond Gonzalez huffing and puffing so far, the question remains, what is it that the Soweto giants did right in the past to find gems in the striking department? And almost a decade after he left, is there hope that they will find the next Musona anytime soon?