He already kn ew about it

“Before he was called up, I was receiving calls from unknown numbers.”

“I enjoy the headache the coach will have when I suggest the name.”

Having started the season as goalkeeper coach for University of Pretoria, Thembalethu Moses found himself making the step up quickly to join Sekhukhune United after the ambitious club parted ways with Nascent Nkhwashu. It was joke, until it eventually happened. But the welcome I got from the club was great. I think the coach had some qualities he saw in me which he liked from back when I was playing and now that I’m a goalkeeper coach. I’m someone who believes in discipline and good attitude as those could take you far in this game and life. I was welcomed well by all my fellow coaches, including coach Abram (Mongoya), and I really feel at home at the club. There wasn’t much that was said in terms of the mandate for the season, and they just said, “Moses, listen here, continue from where you left off at Tuks and at Bafana. Make our goalkeepers to be some of the best in the country.” What I told myself was that I played in this position before and that I would have fun in it (training the goalkeepers). I think the management can also see the little bit of work that I’ve done in the goalkeeping department so far. I think everyone at the club, including the coaches and management, is happy with our work. There are still a few games to be played before the end of the season and we have to see how we are going to do. Our defensive record has been improving and (Toaster) Nsabata has been re-called by his national team (Zambia) after a two-year absence. I remember before he was called up, I was receiving calls from unknown phone numbers talking about his performances and one of the first time that the former Bush Bucks net minder got a gig in the elite league in his blossoming career and he tells Soccer Laduma’s Masebe Qina about the journey so far, in this interview. The 40-yearold also talks about his experience of working in the Bafana Bafana technical team during last year’s COSAFA Cup triumph. Moses also reveals why he believes the national team created peace in the country, while he also opens up about what he was told by Zambia national team goalkeeper coach regarding his work at Babina Noko.

Masebe Qina: Moses, what’s it like working as goalkeeper coach for Sekhukhune United?

Them balethu Moses: So far, it’s been good, grootman (big man). I think being surrounded by experienced coaches that are willing to assist me has been helpful. I’m talking about coaches Mac (MacDonald) Makhubedu, who has been in the game for more than 15 years as a coach, as well as coach (Themba) Sithole, who is our TD (technical director) and has been assisting where he can, and coach (Thabo) Senong, who was with Bafana Bafana and the South African junior national teams. Being around these guys has helped me a lot in my new role at the PSL (DStv Premiership) level. You must remember that I was coaching in the NFD (GladAfrica Championship) and now the PSL is a different ball game and there is a lot of preparation involved. But I think with these guys around me, it will be a smooth ride as it has been so far, although there’s a lot to improve on.

MQ: How did your m ove to the club happen?

TM: (Laughs) Eish, this move, grootman, happened so quickly. In July, after I came back from Bafana Bafana, I went back to Tuks to focus on my job there and, suddenly, I received a call from our (Sekhukhune) team manager Lux (Luxolo Matikinca) and he told me about the team’s situation and said the club wanted me to join them. I told him that I had a contract with Tuks and asked how it was going to be possible to join them. Eventually, I spoke to my manager at Tuks and I told him about the situation and I also engaged Kenneth (Neluvhalani), who was our CEO at Tuks. I told the CEO that I was still enjoying myself at Tuks and growing but that there was an offer from Sekhukhune. I asked him what he thought I should do. He told me that such opportunities come once in a while and advised that I should consider it. He said that as the team, they would have loved to keep me, but he asked that I make my own decision. He said as a club, they were happy with my work with the team’s goalkeepers and of my involvement with Bafana, but he mentioned that it was an opportunity for me to grow and said I needed to grab it. So, I got Tuks’ blessings to go to Sekhukhune. What was nice about the move is that the two clubs had an understanding, which made the deal seamless. What surprised me is that when I went to Mr. Ken (Neluvhalani) to tell him about Sekhukhune’s interest, he already knew about it. He told me that he had been waiting for me to come to him with the news because Sekhukhune had been calling him. He said he liked my honesty for the fact that I went to him and told him of the interest instead of me just resigning like any other coach would have done. I wouldn’t have just left Tuks like that because I appreciated the opportunity that the club gave me and I’ll always be grateful to them.

MQ: What did Makhubedu and his technical team say they wanted you to achieve with the team ?

TM: Funnily enough, there was a tournament that we played in August when I came back from Bafana, and just in passing, Tebogo Monyai said to me, “Hey, Moses, this man wants to see you”, referring to coach Mac. I think he was joking at the time, but in his response, the coach said, “Vele (Indeed), I want to take him.” I thought it was a the calls was from the goalkeeper coach of Zambia, who said he appreciated the work I was doing with the player. It was so humbling to hear the goalkeeper coach saying that the work I do with Toaster isn’t just for him and the national team but for the entire country and people of Zambia. But it’s not only about Moses but the whole team because we work together here and there are no one-man shows.

MQ: O f course, there’s also veteran net m inder Tapuwa Kapini…

TM: Kapini is a gentleman. He is our team captain and is a very disciplined somebody. He is always there for the young goalkeepers, especially Rowen (van Vuuren) and Ayanda (Dlamini). He tries to always be there for them and sometimes while I’m busy with one goalkeeper, I will see him telling the other goalkeepers that, “This is what the coach wants us to do” and that. He is there to teach and guide the young guys. Sometimes he will go even further by guiding the in-field players and he is someone who plays a vital role in the team. As much as he isn’t playing so many games, having him in camp is helping us a lot. For me, coaching him is a great experience because he has played for so many years – more than 15 years of professional football, I think. We share ideas at times, and he will ask for advice and I will give that to him. We work well together.

MQ: Good to hear.

TM: There is also the young boy Rowen, who is very ambitious and very disciplined. He is 22 years old and he plays in our MDC (MultiChoice, now DStv Diski Challenge) team. There is a future in him and all that he needs is to keep on working hard. Ayanda Dlamini is also a disciplined keeper who has also been pushing as hard as he can. He can be our number one at any time judging by his performances in training. During January training, as we were preparing for the second round of the season, he was outstanding in training. There are positives to report on and I like the competition in our goalkeeping department and I think it is giving us (selection) headaches. That’s what we want and that’s what we always tell them, that they should give us headaches. Being the goalkeeper coach, I enjoy the headache that the coach will have when I suggest the name (of a goalkeeper to play) to him. I like the love and respect that our goalkeepers give to each other, and they always protect each other. In our club, we have something which I call the “keepers forum”, where we also hammer each other as goalkeepers when no one else is around, and that’s where we correct each other by saying, ‘But there, you should have done this and that.’

MQ: Lastly, at Bafana, you were part of the team that won the CO SAFA Cup. How was that experience?

TM: It was a great experience and I had never expected to be in that stage so quickly. I remember when I joined the team, I got a call from the team manager (Vincent Tseka), who said there was a crisis as the goalkeeper coach, Lucky Shiburi, had tested positive (for COVID). He said they didn’t have anyone else in mind and had been impressed with my work at Tuks. I was ready to pack my bags and leave for camp, but I told him to first speak to my club. The club agreed and the next thing, I found myself in PE (Gqeberha). The welcome from coach Morena (Ramoreboli) and coach Vela (Khumalo) was very good. Working with (Veli) Mothwa and Lincoln (Vyver) was a great experience. The willingness to succeed which existed in that camp and the respect that everyone had for each other was amazing. You know that soccer players will sometimes have that attitude of saying, ‘Who is this now?’, but that never happened there. Being a former player helps me as players always show that little bit of respect. I enjoyed myself and we worked so hard, together with my goalkeepers there. Veli didn’t concede any goal throughout the tournament and, in our last game of the group, we played Lincoln, who also didn’t concede. We had a good technical team in guys like (Sinesipho) Mali, who was our analyst, and the rest of the guys. Our (SAFA) president (Danny Jordaan) is from PE and he was always coming to camp to motivate the players, especially as that was during the time of looting around the country. He pleaded with us to play for the country to have something positive to think about than the looting that was happening. We pushed hard to create peace in the country. Today, I have a medal in my cabinet through the Bafana experience I had, and I’m really grateful to Vincent for making everything possible for me to be part of the team. I have to work really hard at Sekhukhune so that I can maybe get another call-up to the national team in future.