Secrets of the Stars
Swallows FC forward Ruzaigh Gamildien reveals some interesting facts about his life.
1 Gamildien was born at Tygerberg Hospital, Cape Town as the first of two kids. He has a 14-year-old brother Tauric Gamildien.
2 Born to a single mother, Gamildien has never had any relationship with his father. “My dad is still around but I have never had any relationship with him because he was never present in my life. I was brought up by my mother and grandparents,” he says.
3 The forward is popularly known as ‘Zaikey’ – a nickname he has had since his early childhood days. “When I started playing on the streets other kids couldn’t pronounce my name, so I became known as Zaikey and the name has stuck.”
4 Gamildien grew up in Uitsig and attended Cravenby Combined School before proceeding to Elsies River High, where he had Gregory Roelf and Brandon Petersen as schoolmates. “There was no soccer at our school as they prioritised cricket and rugby, so we didn’t play together. Gregory and I were teammates at Santos, while Brandon was at Ajax,” he notes.
5 He admits to having been an average student, but did complete his Matric. Had he failed to make it in football, he would most likely have ended up as a fireman. “Being a fireman would have suited me, unlike being a cop which I consider to be a dangerous job with too many temptations. With gangsters and all the drugs in Cape Town, there are too many risks to being a cop,” he laughs.
6 From age four, Gamildien was already playing at Matroosfontein FC, featuring in the club’s Under-9s before proceeding to Santos juniors where he played Under-15, 17 and 19 before moving on to play in the club’s feeder team in the ABC Motsepe League, and finally Milano United. “At Santos I was on R1,500 per month, but Milano gave me R3,000, which allowed for me to give my mom half.”
7 Capped three times by Bafana Bafana, he has grown a reputation of being a nomad having played for Santos, Milano United, Bloemfontein Celtic, AmaZulu, Ajax Cape Town, Cape Town All Stars, Chippa United, Steenberg United and now Swallows. He admits off-field issues have played a role in that.
8 Gamildien has no kids but is involved in a relationship. In 2005 his family moved from Uitsig to Ruyterwacht, just opposite the Grand West Casino, as the conditions in Uitsig were deteriorating with gangsterism and drugs taking over.
9 He grew up in a Muslim household but is not practising any religion. “I grew up in a Muslim family, but I don’t follow any religion. I’m just a God-fearing human being,” he reveals.
10 The 31-year-old reveals that the last time he bought boots was almost a decade ago when he was still at Bloemfontein Celtic. “It was in 2011 when I last bought boots and I remember I was buying the Adidas F50 for R1,200 via Thabani Stemmer, who had contacts that got boots on discount. With Puma I am using the Ultra.”