Everything just went south

Delmain Faver: How’s the club search going?

Ayanda Rorwana: It has been really hard and stressful. I’m getting a lot of calls from different people who are willing to help, but it becomes dead-ends each and every day because I get a call from so-and-so today and then the person doesn’t get back to me. So, it’s a bit stressful because I have a lot on my mind. I don’t know what to think and I don’t know what’s going on. But at the same time, I have to be active.

DF: At least you’ve been keeping active playing in township tournaments…

AR: Ja, I have been playing a lot of tournaments and I’ve been training as well because obviously, as a soccer player, a year ago you were used to waking up and going to training every morning, so it’s not that easy to let go of that habit. Already your body is used to being at training at a certain time and after training, from 13h00 to 18h00, you know that your body is out. So, it’s a habit because you have been playing football for the past eight years and you’ve been doing the same thing day in and day out. I have to do this because anything can happen.

DF: When fans see you playing and showcasing your talent, what is their encouragement to you?

AR:

Ja, obviously, I get a lot of encouragement from a lot of people, and the nice thing is that I get it mostly from people who have a better understanding of the game. Where I come from in White City, there is Kenneth Motloung, who used to play for Dynamos and Bidvest Wits, and… yho, there are many of them! Recently, I was playing for a team in Pimville, which is coached by “Gusheshe” (Thamsanqa Tibe). In December, I was playing Discovery with abo (the likes of) Jabu Maluleke. Obviously, sometimes you sit and try and get more information from these guys. At times, you feel like quitting because this thing is not working out, but when you speak to such people, it becomes better as you see how their careers have gone.

DF: What was through your reaction when you were notified that Kaizer Chiefs were releasing you, along with Sizwe Twala and Itumeleng Shopane?

AR: Ja, it was really disappointing because I mean, at that time, I thought maybe I was on track because by that time, as a youngster you could see your dreams unfold. So, to lose everything like that makes me wonder if that was meant for me or… because a lot happened that time and it’s something that I don’t really want to talk about because… hayi (no) …

DF: Did you receive a heads-up from the team before they informed you of their decision?

AR:

We were informed before it happened, maybe a week before. They told us that we had to report for a meeting. We went and they told us that, “Okay, we feel like now is the time,” because we had been there for two or three seasons and we were sent on loan for two seasons. The first season was when Swallows FC won the league and then the second season was when Swallows were in the PSL (topflight). Chiefs were undergoing the (transfer) ban period that time, so we couldn’t register and it became a lot of commotion and it was a setback for us. As a player, now you have to wonder if you’ll be playing for the season

because now you

Young players are notexemptfrom the highs and lows thatthe Beautiful Game can offer. Take the case of Ayanda Rorwana as butan example. He had everything going his way atKaizer Chiefs, where he was an integral partof their DStv Diski Challenge side, which would have given him hope that he was knocking on the door of the firstteam. Alas, after two loan spells to Swallows FC and Pretoria Callies, he was shown the exitdoor, meaning he was considered notgood enough for the step up. Often the devastation that follows, in such instances, is of unspeakable proportions. Clubless and dejected, Rorwana is now plotting the way forward for his career, determined to rise from the ashes. In interview with Soccer Laduma’s Delmain Faver, he opens up on itall, including how he’s currently keeping himself motivated. can’t register as you just came back from loan and you are coming back to a team which is banned for two seasons, so hayi, it was a problem.

DF: You say that the club couldn’t register you, but given the fact that you were Chiefs players already, all the club had to do was recall you from your loan spells, right?

AR:

Ja, eish. The explanation we got there was that the team was going through the ban season, so it wasn’t easy for them to register us and we had to wait for the ban before they could register us so that at least we could get a fair chance to play. But after the ban, everything just went south. According to the contract and the papers, you are contracted to the team, but in terms of being registered, you can’t be registered for two teams, so they would have to deregister you that side and register you this side.

DF: We can imagine. The news must have been a huge disappointment, meaning your career has now stagnated despite its bright start.

AR:

As I said, it’s really disappointing because, eish, at one point you think you are on the right track and then, all of a sudden, everything changes. I’m just glad it happened earlier in my career because I don’t think it’s a place a player would want to be in, especially at his peak or by the time he thinks he has everything figured out. Because it happened earlier, it is more of a lesson because going forward. Even if I come across the same problem again, I think maybe I can handle it better because back then, we didn’t understand better. We just wanted to play ball. We didn’t get good advice from good people.

DF: You came through the ranks at the Soweto giants, where you quickly progressed through to the club’s first team. Talk us through it all!

AR:

It was a really great experience being part of one of the best teams in Africa, coming from the development. It wasn’t easy at all because you get players from different provinces coming to try their luck. You get a squad of 25 to 30 players trying to make it to the first team, so it wasn’t easy at all. It was a great experience, as I said, but in order to get to where you want to be in life, you have to be strong. I’m just glad that I became one of the lucky ones to at least break through and go out on loan to Swallows because I’m sure that most of the guys would have been happy as well. I still talk to some of the players that I played with back then and some of them don’t play ball anymore. Some are still struggling to get teams as well. So, it’s a great learning period. But at the end of the day, these things happen where you can be here today, but you don’t know where you will be tomorrow.

DF: The club really displayed their belief in your abilities when they gave you time off during your matric year when you were struggling with your studies, so as to complete Grade 12. AR:

Yes. I was at Chiefs for five years and I was coming from a team called Diambars in Boksburg and coming to Chiefs, I thought it was a great platform to showcase my talent because I was still in Grade 10. With the guidance of the coaching staff that was there, it was possible for me to reach any level. It wasn’t an easy experience, but I think I am who I am today because of everything that happened there. It was hard for me to balance between academics and football because one, you are dealing with something that you don’t like for between five to seven hours a day. Two, you are dealing with something you like but only for two hours. It was a bit challenging for me because my grades were dropping at the time, but I’m grateful for my parents because when they saw I was losing it … and I was close to finishing school because the problem started when I was in Grade 11 … I sat down with them and we spoke. Then we approached coach Arthur (Zwane) about the situation and then they gave me some time off, I finished my matric and, luckily, I passed and then I went back to football again.

“According to the contract and the papers, you are contracted to the team, but…”

DF: A quick glance at the team you were a part of then reveals that the likes of Siyabonga Ngezana, Njabulo Blom and Happy Mashiane have all gone on to become regulars at the first team. How does this sit with you?

AR:

I’m really happy for the guys, truly speaking, because we were like a family and we knew each other’s backgrounds. So, seeing the guys pushing is really overwhelming because it means maybe there’s something we were doing right at the time that carried the guys until this far. I won’t lie, we had a great coach who was a father-figure and guided us every day. It wasn’t really

“You can be here today, but you don’t know where you will be tomorrow.”

about soccer where we worked for two hours and then we were done – no, we would sit down and speak about life challenges. It was an advantage for us because you know being with someone who has been there before, it was a plus for us and it helped us to where we are today. Obviously when it comes to me, it’s a bit disappointing because I thought I would be on the same level as the guys today, even if it wasn’t at Chiefs. I thought mhlambe (maybe) it would be at a different team. But I’m really happy for the guys.

DF: Do you feel you were given an adequate chance at Chiefs?

AR: No, I don’t think I was given a fair chance…

DF: Why? AR:

Because like, eish … I’d rather not say.

DF: Moving on, you helped Swallows gain promotion to the elite league. Was it disappointing then when the Dube Birds decided against holding onto your services?

AR: It wasn’t really disappointing because obviously it was a loan and, after that period, you have to discuss whether you’ll be staying for another six months or another season, or you are going back. So,

it was a discussion between both clubs. So, I can’t be disappointed at the end of the day because it was something out of my control. I can’t force Swallows to keep me because the coach had his preferences and before they could come to a certain conclusion, they had to talk to the coach. But experience-wise, it was a plus for us because coming from the development ranks and being in the GladAfrica Championship and winning the league, it was a period where nami I also thought everything was unfolding and I could see where I was going. Then boom, something happened, which I feel had a big impact on my career, but that’s a story for another day.

DF: Did you, at any moment, feel like giving up because things were not working out?

AR:

Ja, eish… it happens. I think it happens to everyone. It happened to the best players before where you feel like you are not in the right environment. Maybe I should have listened to people when they said I should focus on school. Do you know the funny part about football and giving up is that even when you lose love for the game, it can happen for a short period of time, because you are human as well and you have emotions, but if it’s your calling, then you will keep calling and it will haunt you?