You respect the reader’s voice
“I still get that excitement even after so many years.”
That Amos Tshukudu purchased the first edition of Soccer Laduma that went on sale on 30 January 1997, has not missed a single edition since then and has been a regular contributor to MAKE YOUR POINT, is the stuff enduring loyalty is made of. The father of four from Mpumalanga, an avid athlete who has completed 10 Comrades Marathons, and who is a police officer by profession, has seen it all with the publication. In celebrating 25 years of bringing you the best soccer news and views, what better way than to hear from a long-time reader, one of our many bosses. Soccer Laduma’s Lunga Adam spoke to the 47-year-old.
Lunga Adam: Good Sir, tell us a bit about yourself and how it all started between you and this publication.
Amos Tshukudu:
I played soccer from a very young age, back home in Ga-Maria, playing for Ga-Maria Peace Brothers. That is where I fortunately played against the likes of Sydney Moshikaro. He was my neighbour and was still playing for Tshikanosi Vikings. Ironically, we even went to initiation school together in 1991. He was a very, very good striker and, in his team, they used to play him either as a midfielder or a striker depending on the situation. If they were losing, they used to take him up front, together with his brother. Unfortunately, age was not on his brother’s side, but he was also good. So, he’s from a family of soccer-mad people and I was fortunate enough to have played against him earlier, before he turned pro. Also, do you remember Sydney Malope? He once played for Jomo Cosmos as a defender, but he didn’t play for a long time. I also played against him when he turned out for Lefiso Strikers, one of the local teams. Well, the first time I saw Soccer Laduma was in 1997. I was in Pretoria, studying there after matriculating. I was an avid reader of soccer magazines. I was actually inspired by my brother, Bernard Tshukudu, who used to write for Soccer News and Kick Off. Even if you can check now in the letters page, he keeps on dropping a letter now and again. Then, one day there in the street, that’s when I saw that very first edition of Soccer Laduma. So, it was like love at first sight that time, you know. I just fell in love with that paper, the way it was packaged… you know once you see the cover page, you expect a lot and you start liking it. Soon, I started writing because I really enjoy writing. I started saying, ‘Okay, let me share my opinions with others so that I can also grow as a person and learn from others.’ I can proudly say I’ve used old methods of submitting a letter, like posting, faxing, until we got to emails. And when we started, we had the likes of Poppy Makhubu, if you still remember that lady. She was one of those that started with us and then, along the way, she disappeared. I don’t know what happened. I even asked one day in one of my letters about her whereabouts and, unfortunately, I never got a response. She was the only lady and remained the only lady (to write in) for a long time. Even now, we have a shortage of ladies writing there and it is my wish that at least one of the good days we get a growing number of female writers.
LA: Sure. You say you used to post your letters. Must have been daunting.
AT:
My brother, it was a challenge. I used to buy this packet of stamps at the post office. I was not working. My brother was the one financing me so that I could have enough stamps and also buy a packet of envelopes. When I started, I didn’t know about the fast mail. I later learnt that there is a fast mail option that one could use. It was a bit of a struggle with the letters since the technology was not yet advanced during that stage, but because of the love, I persevered. This thing also helped even my village to grow because people didn’t know about that village. Even right now, those who’ve never gone there know there is a village called Ga-Maria and it’s all thanks to Soccer Laduma. Even with surrounding villages, for them it’s like… you become a hero because these people know you, they played soccer with you, they schooled with you. So, you become sort of a celebrity to them. This thing is all because of Soccer Laduma. If Soccer Laduma was not there, then I was not going to get that platform to introduce my village to the rest of the South Africans. Those struggles there… at least it was better with the faxes, until things became easier with the emails. Now you can write anytime and you don’t even need a laptop. I can just type a quick email on my phone, knowing that the deadline of Monday morning is approaching.
LA: True. Tell us more… AT:
The feedback has been great. Even back home, before, there was no Soccer Laduma. It was difficult to get it. But as years went by, then some of the shops started selling it after we convinced them that, “Please, there are people who are following Soccer Laduma. The paper is growing fast and fast and it is by far the best soccer publication you’ll ever get.” At least they bought into the idea, and then things became easier for me when I started working because now getting Soccer Laduma was easier. I’ve always made sure to get it first thing in the morning so that I’ll be able to read it throughout the day when I get time. I can’t wait for later in the day to buy it – no, no, no. That’s not how I do it. Once it gets to a Wednesday, then first thing in the morning, I have to get my copy. Because I still get that excitement even after so many years of reading Soccer Laduma. Even the letters, I still go there to check my letter first before checking others and I still get that excitement, you know. Others used to ask me, “Don’t you get tired of writing? Are you not getting bored doing the same thing over and over again?” Some even had the wrong impression that I was getting paid by Soccer Laduma, and I explained to them, “This thing is all about passion. I’m sharing my knowledge with others, I’m learning from others.” So, we keep on learning in this world. You are never too old to learn because you can never say you know everything soccer-related. There’ll always be those people coming with ideas that will interest you. When you interact with other fans, you get to learn so many things. That is why that excitement is still here even today and it will never go away for as long as I live. It’s an obsession, but a good obsession for that matter. I know Wednesdays are for Soccer Laduma!
LA: What kind of letter writer would you describe yourself as?
AT:
My brother, I’m definitely not an emotional writer. I just want to get my facts right, stay calm and collected and then that’s when I start writing.
So, the method that I use for writing,
I always believe that simplicity is the best. Just write in a way that people will understand. I’m a proud product of a rural area, so even when writing, I’m thinking of my homeboys, my homegirls back home, that they must also be able to get the message, what I’m trying to say. You’ve got people who have different styles of writing. I mean, you’ll get those that use those bombastic words. I’m not chastising them, but I’m just saying that with me, I believe in simplicity. People must get the message, what it is that I want to say. Obviously sometimes (Kaizer) Chiefs disappoint me, then I will also criticise them when I have to. And even if somebody criticises my team, I don’t become defensive. Because you get these supporters whereby you won’t say anything wrong about their team. Even though they can see that whatever you are saying about their team is a fact, they’ll defend their team at all costs. So, I’m not that type of a writer. I know the weaknesses of my team, so even if somebody points them out to me, you’ll find that I already know about them. It becomes easier for you to engage with others regarding soccer matters because they know you are open, you can take criticism.
LA: Talking about Chiefs, they had a buzz about them in the many years after Soccer Laduma was launched, but you can say the team is now a shadow of its former self.
AT:
Eish, my brother, you are definitely right, ha, ha, ha. My team is just like Man United, whom I support overseas. You will just never be sure of anything where those teams are concerned. You know, I think the issue of recruiting players has been our downfall over the years. Those years that you mentioned, we had players that could easily win a game for us with a moment of brilliance because those were the types of players Chiefs needed. We had
good players. The opponents became worried whenever they had to face Chiefs over the weekend. They
knew they had a massive task if they were to beat us. But now it’s average players. Now everybody can play for Chiefs. Some of the players, you even ask yourself, ‘How the hell did he end up in Naturena in the first place?’ Because he’s just an average player. I’ll also use (Mamelodi) Sundowns as an example. I like what (Patrice) Motsepe is doing. He buys material for his coaches so that at the end of the day, they won’t say, ‘I failed because I was not given enough support material-wise.’ But with us, it’s the opposite. (Kaizer) Motaung maybe expects miracles to happen. We have lost so many players that we were supposed to sign. That is why even when Soccer Laduma sometimes reports that Chiefs is interested in this player… I used to tell my guys that I’ll only celebrate once that player is unveiled, because I know we lost so many players because of the money issues. They don’t want to spend, but they need success, and it doesn’t work like that in soccer. You see big teams like your Bayern Munich, Man City reinforcing their squads every season even after winning the league or the UEFA Champions League. But what about us? You’ll find that maybe we qualify for Top Eight by a whisker, but then the next season, nothing is being done. You ask yourself is there no report that is being submitted to management by coaches? Then what about those recommendations? When you are conceding a lot of goals, the coaches will complain about the defence or maybe the goalkeeper, and that should be your priority the next season. Once you start buying, you start there. The key points. I’ll give you an example with Liverpool. Before (Virgil) Van Dijk came there, they knew they had a problem. They wanted a sweeper, somebody who’s good. Then they went out, they got Van Dijk. After getting him, the next season I remember very well they lost the Champions League final because of the goalkeeper. That is when they went and bought Allison (Becker) the next season, and it worked for them because they won the Champions League.
LA: You must have formed friendships from your years writing in to YOUR POINT…
plenty all MAKE
AT: I’ve got lots and lots of friends, more especially after my number was published when we were about to form that Soccer Laduma readers’ WhatsApp group. Many people started getting my number and they would text me and say, “Thanks. We’ve been following you over the years and we’ve been inspired.” Others started writing because of seeing my letters there. Others were asking, “How do you get this energy of keeping on writing for so many years?” You know, those compliments just keep on lifting you. I’m just a simple, humble guy, so when somebody says thanks, it really means a lot to me because sometimes you do things and you’re not aware that you’re impacting others positively. But now Soccer Laduma gave me the platform, and even in the group, we have the likes of Papi Netshivhale, Elias Boya, Panyaza Ndlovu, Batsirai Kativu, Tente Mokoka, Lucky Khunou, Vic Mashamaite, etc. Those are the heavyweights of MAKE YOUR POINT. When we are together discussing soccer, you can see these are guys are very knowledgeable. We interact and we learn a lot from
each other. Because there’s many of us, someone will tell us maybe about something that’s happening in Italy or Spain. With knowledge, you have to share with others and then others will also share what they know with you, and in that way, you grow as a person and learn. If you remember, there was also Tumelo Moilwa from Muwaweni. We met through Soccer Laduma and one day I had to drive from Potchefstroom, where I was working at the time, to Pretoria to meet him. We had lunch together… it was so nice. We spent hours there discussing Soccer Laduma and soccer. You know, I think we spent four or five hours just discussing soccer, soccer, soccer. It was so nice. When we said our goodbyes, it was so painful – it was like we had known each other for a very long time. That’s why I get very worried even now when I don’t hear from some of the regular writers. Like, what happened with this guy Owen Mafukele, from Nkuri-Tomu? I once asked about his whereabouts and the information I got was that unfortunately, he is no more. It was painful from my side because you get to love these guys. I had never met him personally, but I felt that pain because I knew he was those kinds of writers that liked those bombastic words. Whenever reading his letters, I knew, ‘Oh, I have to get a dictionary now.’ I’m so observant and I know the regular writers, so the moment two or three weeks pass by without seeing somebody, then I start getting worried because for me, Soccer Laduma is a very big family.
LA: Sad to hear about Owen. We’ve also been wondering why he’s no longer writing in, together with Loward Ziga-Khosa. May his soul rest in peace.
AT: When we celebrated 10 years, co-incidentally, I was in Cape Town and I came to your offices there. If I remember very well, you were also there. Clint Roper was there. I was welcomed warmly and it was so nice for me finally to see the offices after writing for 10 years. I was given those vests written 10 at the back, about five of them, with the caps and a white tracksuit top. I still treasure those things. We were celebrating 10 years and today we are celebrating 25 years. It’s been a very good journey. Back home, when some people see me, they call me “Mr Laduma”, ha, ha, ha. I’ve witnessed the growth of the paper over the years and people are reading the paper, and it’s because of you guys. You have a great team. And one thing that makes Soccer Laduma stand head and shoulders above the rest is that you respect the reader’s voice. The reader’s voice counts a lot there. Other publications don’t really care about the opinions of the readers, but with Soccer Laduma, it has been the key ingredient in this journey that we’ve travelled. Our (readership) numbers keep on increasing, and that is why I was even joking with the guys saying Soccer Laduma must pay me because there at home, the number of readers keeps on increasing. Even my homeboys, if they don’t see my letter for just one week, they become so worried. They’ll phone me and say, “Now you’re starting to get lazy. Why don’t you write because we want to see your letter there?”
LA: Ha, ha! Mr Tshukudu, it’s been an absolute pleasure. Thanks a million for your support, and this goes for all our other readers as well. Keep spreading the Soccer Laduma gospel wherever you go!
AT:
Yes, I’ll do that. Thanks for the opportunity and well done on the good job you’re doing. Keep it up. ❐