Linda Mntambo

Born into a family of diehard Orlando Pirates fans with granddad a founding member of the club, Linda “Figo” Mntambo didn’t have much choice over which South African club to support. But he has now gone one step further by getting to play for the club of

The Orlando Pirates midfielder reveals his inspiring journey from packaging plastics to PSL football, while living out his dream at his true boyhood club.

If Linda Mntambo had decided to take the easier route of giving up on his dream of playing professional football, he could have easily still been a factory worker wearing gumboots and overalls and earning his meagre R600 every Friday. After all, that is what Mntambo did for a good five years working for a plastic packaging firm as a warehouse assistant until he decided to pursue his first love full-time in 2013. Prior to that, he had been working as a waiter at Emperors Palace as he tried to make ends meet after matriculating in 2006, but it was a draining job which involved travelling between 23 stations by train from Mzimhlophe Station all the way to Isando from where he would then walk to his employer’s base. At times it meant sleeping in the change rooms after late night shifts as public transport would by that time no longer be operational, meaning he’d only get back home the next day. It was rough, but he always persevered, holding on to whatever job he had to help put food on the table, while simultaneously trying to keep his fading dream of playing professional football alive. “To get to Isando I would change trains twice or thrice and travel for over two hours at times,” Mntambo reveals in this honest, tell-all interview. “I was earning R10 per hour working as a waiter, and I would work a shift of eight hours a day which meant I got R80. The money was little, but I had people to feed at home. We once hosted the PSL awards at Emperors Palace which stretched until late at night and by then there weren’t any trains running. So after such events I had to go and sleep in the change rooms and wait for the first train at 04h00 the next morning, meaning I only got back home the following day. And I still had to come back to work that same day. “After being a waiter at Emperors Palace I moved on to work for a plastic packaging company for five years in Aeroton near Southgate Mall. I was a warehouse assistant and would sweep and then load the trucks there. I would wear gumboots and an overall and get the job done from 08h00-17h00 and be paid R600 every Friday. Luckily Aeroton was not so far

from home in Orlando, so every morning I would jog to work and then shower before starting my shift. After work I would jog home and then train with my amateur team Mzimhlophe Porto. Since we didn’t work on weekends, that would then be my time to play football. When I started working in Aeroton, my mom was working as a cleaner so we were helping out together at home.” However, the birth of his daughter in 2010 meant the load on his shoulders exponentially increased, and deep down he knew that football could become the saviour from all the struggles he was facing. “The arrival of my girl meant my responsibilities changed, so life between 2010-2013 became really y tough g and I was always in debt,” he admits. “In 2013 I realised I could not continue living from hand to mouth like that, and have nothing to show for it. I decided to give it my all in football and two months after I quit my job I got a contract at Roses United (in the National First Division) where I earned R10 000, which was huge for me considering where I came from. My life changed from there and I was then able to look out for my mom and make every day feel like Christmas for her.” For all the energy that has characterised this interview so far, it is rather surprising that Mntambo then suddenly freezes, before breathing heavily. “When you have gone through all this, football becomes like dessert,” he continues after the silence. “Right now the only stress is that I need to work on my game instead of worrying about transport to get home.” His perseverance meant he still had to negotiate a chaotic first season in professional football with Roses United, who were relegated from the First Division in the same season he spent with them after using 65 players throughout the campaign. But in the 18 appearances he made for the Free State club, Mntambo had done enough to impress Jomo Sono who brought him across to Jomo Cosmos. At Ezenkosi the rising talent immediately established himself, playing an influential role in his side’s 2014/15 promotion before staying on for a further two-and-a-half years during which the legendary Sono described him as the best box-to-box midfielder.

A dream come true

A move to Chippa United at the beginning of last year then ensued, where five goals in 14 appearances during the six months he spent with the Chilli Boys resulted in a call fro om Soweto giants Orlando Pirates. This was no ordinary call for the 29-yearol d, but a call from the club of his heart, ha aving called Orlando West home for much of f his life. “This is a genuine dream come true be ecause I have always dreamt of playing fo r Orlando Pirates, the team I grew up su upporting,” he explodes in delight. “This also shows that God has a plan fo r all of us. At times it doesn’t matter how old yo ou are. Some were saying ‘Shabba’ [Siphiwe Ts habalala] is now old, but he still got his op pportunity to go and play overseas. In my ca ase God brought me here because that page wa as always there. I never gave up on my ca areer through all these years, which is why Ia also haven’t given up on playing for my co ountry. I feel if I can cement my place at Pirates and be consistent with my pe erformances, I still have a chance of playing fo r the national team. Anything is possible. Ag ge is something that South Africans just like sti icking on people. I don’t feel so old that I sh houldn’t be holding my dreams in the game an nymore. Maybe it is all because I have only be een in professional football for five years. I th ink I’m still young in this career which is why I’m m embracing every day as it comes.” Mntambo knows all too well about the ag ge- shaming stigma in this country where pl ayers are usually judged on age instead of ab bility, but he is unconcerned. “When I joined Pirates, the team held its aw wards and Musa Nyatama was the best pl ayer last season – Musa is already into his 30 0s, but he is still going strong and never one to o be discouraged,” he points out. “If Musa can be e Player of the Season at a big club at his ag ge, it shows there is a future for all of us.” What is without doubt is that Mntambo ca arries with him a story of hope for many a pl ayer already into their mid-20s who still ha aven’t broken through into the professional ra nks.

“There are a lot of players I grew up playing with even here in Soweto who are talented, but still haven’t broken through,” he says. “I’m the one to give them hope that it is still possible. They shouldn’t just sit on hope, but work for it as well. Through all the jobs I have done, I have never stopped loving football or training hard. If it meant I had to jog to work then that was what I did to make sure I kept my fitness at the right level. Your focus must never change.” Mntambo then goes on to share more words of advice for those in a similar situation to what he experienced. “Amateur level doesn’t pay enough for you to only live off football, which means you have to work on the side,” he says. “However, you shouldn’t stop training like the professional you want to be. There are sacrifices to be made in football. Some say I’m lucky to have joined Pirates at 29, but if you were to understand how much I have sacrificed in my life for this game, then you wouldn’t dare say I’m lucky. With the route I have taken, I deserve to be where I am now.” The icing on the cake is that being at Pirates means “Figo” is playing for a club considered a birth-right in his family, who live within walking distance from Orlando Stadium. His grandfather – Power Mntambo – was one of Pirates’ founding members, meaning his connection with the team runs far deeper than many others can claim. “I never missed a Pirates game as a kid because this club was close to my heart,” he discloses. “Whenever we lost, especially against Kaizer Chiefs, I would cry so much that my sisters would laugh at me. Orlando Pirates has always been my number one love in football. Actually at home we are all Pirates fans – no one has ever supported another

team at home. Our home is so close to Orlando Stadium that when there are big games, cars actually park in our yard. My wife is even a Pirates fan, so being at Pirates now does truly really feel like ‘home, sweet home’. I know the pain of seeing Pirates lose because I have been a fan in the stands for so long, so that is why I never fail to give my best on the field.fi I have been to the stadium as a fan with a flag and vuvuzela, so I can relate to all the Bucs supporters.” Growing up in Orlando means Mntambo has plenty memories about the stadium he now calls his home ground. “I knew Orlando Stadium before it was renovated and watched the junior national teams play there, especially the All-Africa Games [in 1999],” he starts. “As kids we went in for free as well. The first Pirates game I watched had John Moeti, Sam Pam, Dumisa Ngobe, Helman Mkhalele and Brandon Silent. I was also at the stadium when Jerry Sikhosana scored a hat-trick against Chiefs [in the 1997 Bob Save Super Bowl]. FNB Stadium is also not far from home, and I also watched the last derby at the old FNB there [in December 2006].” However, for all his affection for the club that now employs him, what matters most is delivering trophies, especially since the Buccaneers haven’t had a trophy to celebrate since the 2014 Nedbank Cup. “I still need to make a name for myself and leave a legacy at Pirates,” Mntambo acknowledges. “Some of the players here, like me, have never won any trophies in their careers, so this is why we all want to win. We have the best coaches and players which is why the technical team is spoilt for depth. We were unfortunate with the Telkom, but we will challenge for every other trophy. This is our time to also leave a legacy. The only people that are recognised at Pirates are those who won the double-treble so we have to write our own history by winning trophies. Playing nice football is not enough. It is only winners that will be remembered.”