OUT OF THE SPOTLIGHT

Clockwise from left: Makua’s new-found passion; in the colours of Chiefs; up against John Barnes in a Legends match; sharing a platform with Edward Motale at the 2014 SAB Festival in Limpopo and featuring for Bafana against Kenya in 2002 IF Kaizer Motaung makes the effort of driving to your house in the bid to sign you from a lower division club, then you are definitely exceptional. Frank Makua had the privilege of having the Chiefs chairman pay his parents a visit prior to him joining Amakhosi from OK League (second tier) club Ferrometals in 1995. “Jomo Cosmos had been interested, but they were taking forever to reach an agreement with my club. After Chiefs spotted me during a friendly, the chairman drove to my parents’ house in Witbank and that sealed the deal. That was a dream come true – I was 20 at the time,” recalls Makua. He won Rookie of the Year at the end of his first season at Chiefs, but didn’t build on that platform, making just 107 starts over five seasons. Still there was no questioning that ‘Disco’ had a touch of charm and injected a thrill factor whenever in possession. “I enjoyed my football because I always believed that I must play to my capabilities, which meant mostly using my talent,” he says. “The challenge I had through my time at Chiefs was that I faced some stiff competition in the attacking midfield positions. I had to compete with Thabo Mooki, Doctor Khumalo, Thabang Lebese and Shakes Kungwane, but luckily I learnt from all those guys.” With fewer opportunities at Chiefs, he moved to newly- promoted Ria Stars in 2000, after which he had spells with Dynamos, SuperSport United and Manning Rangers. Along the way, he also picked up four Bafana caps. “I actually started losing interest in football at SuperSport because I was never given a fair chance there. I would do well in a match and then be on the bench for the next one and that was frustrating,” he says. After a season with Rangers and a return to Dynamos, he joined his hometown side Witbank Spurs (the renamed Ferrometals), before retiring in 2008, aged 34. “I decided to hang up my boots because I felt my efforts were no longer being appreciated. I was putting in the effort but some coaches probably thought they knew better. Plus I just feel I was very unlucky for most of my career. “What also pushed me into calling it quits was that I was also going through a very difficult time in my life with my father and brother passing away in a short space of time. After that I lost the desire for football as they were the two people who always pushed me,” he says. Makua now earns a living through Hit Alliance Soccer Legends, an organisation that runs coaching clinics on behalf of Italian club AS Roma. “My kids are the people giving me the inspiration. This project with AS Roma has kept me going since last