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CCLEMENT MAZIBUKO O (PART 1)

Remembered for his forays down the right flank at the peak of his career, Clement Mazibuko earned promotion to the Kaizer Chiefs senior team in 1996. However, after a frustrating season, he sought a move to Bush Bucks, where he flourished. Six years at the Eastern Cape-based side were followed by two stints with Mamelodi Sundowns, sandwiched by a spell at Ergotelis in Greece. Thanda Royal Zulu was his last topflight club, before he retired in 2014 after briefly turning out for Batau FC in the lower ranks. Mazibuko explains, “You know how it is here in South Africa – when you get to 30, people tend to turn their backs on you.”

Clement, please tell us about your early days Kaizer Chiefs, having been promoted from the club’s junior ranks.

The club had scouted me as a young boy elok’shini (in the township) and I started in their development ranks all the way up. But the interesting bit of info there is that, in my desperate search for game-time, I decided to leave for Bush Bucks without the club having any say in it. For starters, there was no way a wet-behind-the-ears Clement Mazibuko was going to play ahead of such established names as Pollen Ndlanya. A lot of guys had found themselves in that situation and I was not about to be one of them. Just as well, a well-connected friend informed me that Bush Bucks were in need of a player in my position and I immediately instructed him to pull some strings. But then there was the small matter of getting my clearance. When the matter came to the attention of Chiefs, they were so taken aback and wondered why a youngster would want to give up the privilege of playing for the biggest team in the country. “Who do you think you are?” was the question. They refused to give me my clearance. I consulted with people who knew how such a situation could be negotiated and, luckily, because I was under-age, I was eligible to play without obtaining the clearance. My desperation to leave Chiefs was motivated by the situation back home. Man, poverty had reared its ugly head and I wanted to make a difference.

Well, what some of our readers may not be aware of is that your trip from Jozi to the Eastern Cape was a very interesting one.

Ha, ha, ha, I remember that trip very well! Hey, wena, who told you about it?

Nothingong escapes thee attentiveaenve ear ofo Sococ cer Laduma editor, Vuyani Joni, and he knows a good story when he catches a whiff of one!

Ha, ha, ha… okay. So this is how it all unfolded… I travelled by taxi from Johannesburg to the Eastern Cape. Along the way, the driver was falling asleep and this presented a problem of sorts. A new ‘driver’ was needed as a matter of urgency if we needed to reach our destinations on time, and when I looked around, I discovered that most of my fellow passengers were people who had seen better days. It was my first time on a long trip and I was seated in the backseat, minding my own business. Like a thud, the driver’s question landed… “Good people, is there no one with a driver’s licence here and who can drive us further from here?” As it turned out, no one in the taxi hada a driver’srvers licence,cence includingncung me.me I knew new how to drive though, although my driving skills were nothing to brag about. Anyway, I ended up taking the wheel because of all the pressure I was receiving from the golden oldies in my midst. I drove until we reached the middle of Kokstad. Here’s the interesting part… the driver – me, that is – would have to love and leave fellow passengers right there and then because my fare did not allow me to go any further.

So, even after your kind gesture, the driver could not have the good sense to take pity on you.

Eish, my brother, and I was two hours away from Mthatha. From that point on, it became a comical affair because I really didn’t have money to travel anywhere. The driver, now awake, dropped me off at the taxi rank. It was very early in the morning, around 05h00, and I remember it was very cold and I didn’t have a jacket on. It was a Sunday and, as expected, the taxi rank was eerily empty. I had to sit there until 10h00, when a taxi appeared, passing on its way to Mthatha. I was nonot aaboutou too lete thee ridere leaveeave me there, ere come what may. Man to man, I conjured up the confidence for an audience with the driver. The worst that he could do was turn me down. I pleaded with him to take me on board, and for good effect, even lied to him that I was playing for Bush Bucks. Interestingly enough, I don’t know how it came to be that he believed me because he told me that he was a Bush Bucks fan!

Ha, ha, ha, he must have been one of those fair-weather fans or those who feel there’s no other reason to support a team other than the fact it’s from their hometown…

Bush Bucks were playing at Independence Stadium that Sunday and he dropped me off there, free of charge. I got into the stadium for free, ha, ha, ha. From there, I called my friend who had organised the move for me and I was able to watch the game. Eish, but you know, as a young boy going to a place you had never been before was quite scary. To think that, at the time, I didn’t even know which way the Eastern Cape was facing. I used to stay with this old man that I considered a father-figure, although we were not related. Before my trip, he prepared me umphako (food for the road) of pap and chicken. Sad to say, I didn’t even eat that meal, as I couldn’t bear the thought of opening the lunchbox in front of so many people. I thought it was a bit old-school, so I threw it away in one of our stops on the way. Even the chicken… it was a live chicken that was slaughtered specially for my trip! I was so embarrassed, my brother.

We can imagine…

So I spent three days without eating. I trained that Sunday and the next training session was on the Monday. I think they decided from that first training session that they were going to sign me – that’s how good I was. I then started getting attention from the other players and they started warming to me. On the third day of training, one of them came up to me and asked, “Are you alright? Did you eat?” I said, “Good question! I’ve been waiting for that question all along!” Ha, ha, ha. It really was a funny trip with a lot of emotions involved, but at the same time, it was the beginning of good things for me.

Great. At least there was a happy ending to the story.

For my first night in Mthatha, they took me to a house where I was going to sleep. Vincent Sokhela was the only one staying there and the other room was free. Can you believe that I overslept for training the next morning? Ha, ha, ha. I had been sleeping with this red, fluffy blanket. The kombi came to fetch us very early in the morning and, when I jumped out of bed and looked at the clock, I realised there was no time to take a shower. The taxi kept hooting nonstop. Soon as I came out, the guys couldn’t stop laughing because my hair had all this fluffy stuff from the blanket. I didn’t know what they were laughing at, until someone pointed it out to me. Tsepo Ntsoane asked, “Where did they get this farm boy from?” I was so embarrassed! So that was my introduction to Bush Bucks players.

Ha, ha, ha. Clement, what a story! There definitely must be more, as you played in the topflight for the better part of 15 years, so let’s catch up again next week.

Ngiyabonga, bhut’ wami (Thank you, my brother).

“The driver was falling asleep.”

“I spent three days without eating.”