The disgraced goalkeeper who moved on

DO YOU still remember a bloke who answered to the name Thabang Louw? No? Yes? Maybe? Well then, allow me to help you refresh the old memory if the passage of time has eroded the bank to some degree and the name does not ring a bell.

Louw was a young goalkeeper who played for Northern Cape amateur outfit Powerlines FC. The wide-eyed 18-year-old was thrust into the spotlight when his lower-tier side played against powerhouse Mamelodi Sundowns in a Nedbank Cup last-32 match in March 2012.

He would have probably remained in relative obscurity in Windsorton, Northern Cape until Sundowns came into the agricultural town and handed the misfiring Powerlines a record 24-0 thumping.

He became the butt of many jokes in Windsorton, and around the country for that matter, and was embarrassed to show his face in public after the Sundowns spanking.

He told this columnist at the time that even a simple trip to the neighbourhood corner store became an unbearable test and his very appearance in the streets was enough to spark spontaneous laughter.

“I have seen them and they have been pointing fingers all day, laughing in the streets,” Louw said at the time.

“Of course, I am embarrassed after a defeat like that. But I am not going to allow them to get to me.

“I was nervous because I usually see these Sundowns players on television.

“And all of a sudden they were all in front of me.”

We soon discovered that there was more to this young man than meets the eye.

He quit school while in grade 5 in Windsorton in 2007 when his mother fell ill and ‘‘he immediately took care of his family”.

Powerlines owner Denziel Ontong told Business Day at the time that those making jokes about the teenager in the aftermath of the record defeat did not realise he faces far bigger challenges daily than those against Sundowns.

‘‘This young man does not have a job, and takes care of his family through odd jobs here and there,” Mr Ontong said. ‘‘He cooks, he irons and he cleans for his family at such a young age. Then he comes to training after all that.

‘‘How then can he allow this defeat to Sundowns to leave a devastating impression on him?

‘‘Can you believe that while everyone was going on about those goals he let in, he asked me if I could make means for him to return to school.”

He had hoped the Nedbank Cup would be a way out and I remember numerous good Samaritans phoning to offer Louw and his family assistance in the days after the record defeat. It seemed he would finally get a break and his story would have a happy ending.

But sadly, the goalkeeper never realised his dream of moving to Kaizer Chiefs and playing alongside his role model Itumeleng Khune.

A South African Football Association official in the Northern Cape, Winston Mandela, said yesterday Powerlines are no more and their status was bought by another local side some time ago. ‘‘Sadly, there was a lot of infighting in the aftermath of that famous Nedbank Cup match against Sundowns,” he said yesterday. ‘‘The club is no more.” It seems the sudden attention that accompanied the Northern Cape club was too much to handle and the spotlight eventually claimed another victim, Powerlines.

Louw was apparently taken in by another local club and continues to play his football in the Northern Cape.

He is still surviving through the odd job here and there and we hear he is desperate to secure a more stable income.

It is a pity that he was not able to use his 15 minutes of fame to his advantage when he had the chance.

The spotlight will once again fall on the Nedbank Cup starting today and there will be several wide-eyed youngsters who will walk in Louw’s footsteps. This tournament always guarantees that.

The players will hope that the soccer gods are in a far more generous mood this year and they can benefit from a fairytale that lasts longer than 15 minutes.