BONGANI MBHELE
(PART 1)
Geez, Bongo, we haven’t heard from you in a long time! Where have you been hiding? Ja, long time, long time, bhuti wami (my brother). No, I’m around, I’m around. I still keep fit and play social games on Sundays. We play with the likes of Steve Lekoelea and Peter Khoabane. Recently, we were playing against players from Soweto, the likes of (Samuel) “Sea” Ngobeni. So, ja, we do meet as guys and it’s always nice when we get to reminisce about the old days.
Looking back at how your career, which started in your teenage years but also ended rather prematurely, unfolded, how do you feel?
In general, when you look back, you do realise there was a room for improvement, but more than anything, you are happy for the experiences that you got, you understand? Because football is like life, as you meet different people and learn different things. But whatever happened, you need to look beyond that because after football there’s life, so life has to go on. I had more good experiences than bad, and why I’m saying that is because even when I meet people nowadays, I find that they appreciate me the same way as someone who’s still playing. So, to be honest, I’ve done my part. That’s why I’m saying there’s nothing that’s 100 %, as there are always challenges, but there’s nothing you can do now. You need to move on and look at what’s next in life.
Where did you enjoy it most?
Errr… I can’t say I enjoyed my time here, I didn’t enjoy there. There were different experiences along the way. Let me make an example. When I started my career at Moroka Swallows, I was playing alongside senior players and I was one of the youngsters, so I learned a lot from them. Then you go to Thanda (Royal Zulu) – different province, the environment is different, you’re on your own and now you have to learn independence. You go to AmaZulu FC, and by then you understand the industry, that this is how the industry operates. That’s why I’m saying there were different experiences, but because I spent a lot of time in Durban, I can say AmaZulu and Thanda is where I really enjoyed myself. I also think I had more game-time at Thanda. Yes, at AmaZulu, I did get game-time, but in different seasons. In my last season, I didn’t have a lot… only in my first and second seasons.
Let’s retrace your football journey by
A stron g-w illed left back in h is h eyday, Bon gan i Mbh ele’s career started at Moroka Sw allow s,w h om h e sign ed for straigh t from th e am ateur ran ks in th e year 2 004 .Tw o spells in Durban follow ed – at Th an daRoyal Zulu an d Am aZulu FC respectively – before ven turin g to Mozam bique to lin k upw ith H BC Son go.By the tim e he left the clubin 2 01 6
starti ngr ight at the beginning…
I joined Swallows straight from elokishini
(the township). There was a guy, Monde Mabena, who has since sadly passed away… he and Gavin (Hunt) knew each other quite well. He’s the one who recruited me and sent me to Swallows. When I got there, it was pre-season and they were doing a lot of running. Gavin told me that if I could manage to run as well as the other guys, he would give me a chance. I think after all the running, we played for five or 10 minutes and the training session ended. The second day, we played a friendly against SuperSport (United) and that’s where he had a good look at me. He then made a decision to sign me after the match. So, that’s how I signed – straight from the township, two days after training with the team! To be honest, at that time, it didn’t sink in what had just happened, I don’t wanna lie. Obviously, we used to see these guys on TV, and going there, I knew that I was quite young, so I was going there for the experience. When they said they were going to sign me, I was like, ‘Ah, they are going to sign me? Why me, at this age?’ Only after signing on the dotted line did I start to say, ‘Oh, okay, let me see what is happening.’ But the other thing that kept me grounded, as much as I was happy, was the players that I found there, abo (the likes of) Goodman Mazibuko, Innocent Chikoya, Tsweu Mokoro, Pitso Lekone. They kept me grounded to say put your feet on the ground. Yes, you are young, you are in another environment, but manje (now) there’s certain ways of after on ly aseason w ith th em ,th e w ritin g w as on th e w all,h avin g com e back to play in th e th en V odacom League.“I w as n ot gettin g a club,plus in juries w ere takin g atoll an d th e body w as strugglin g.I just decided itwastim etoallow othersa chan ce to com e through,” reveals th e 36 -year-old. doing things. It’s not the same as in the township. really have abangani laphaya (friends there), they were my big brothers if anything. But the three that I spent the most time with are Mazibuko, Mokoro and Vincent Kobola. Mokoro was a character… a very funny person. Whenever you were with him, you were due a good laugh. I also playedwithhimatAmaZulu,so the relationship between the tw oof us became stronger as time went on. But yena, when you were with him, you would always be laughing. Easy-going guy off the field, but when he entered the field, he was a totally different person. In contrast, Kobola was a very quiet person, but we bonded because in terms of age, the two of us were youngsters. We got into the industry at the same time, hence the bond, I suppose. Very quiet guy, disciplined. Goodman was the captain, very easy-going off the field as well, but on the field (at training) you wouldn’t think we knew each other. He would tackle me quite hard and always be on my case. But off the field, he showed he had my best interests at heart.
From there, you were on the move, joining a Thanda outfit that held much promise under mega-rich Swedish owners. Your time there must have been a blast.
Big time! The club had a lot of players from Jo’burg and in terms of the age group, there wasn’t a big gap between us like it was the case at Swallows. We were a family. Most of us didn’t know anyone in Durban, so we would spend a lot of time together off the field. Secondly, I found myself playing more and when the coach (Roger Palmgren) came, he trusted me more, and that is not to take anything away from Gavin. The coach made me one of his main men in the squad because I could play any position and I could express myself more on and off the field. That’s why I’m saying it’s where I enjoyed my football. I managed to get national U23 call-ups because of the game-time I was getting at the club.
That’s where you played with the legendary Japie Motale, a man who’s considered even funnier than his crazy and even more legendary brother, Edward “Magents” Motale. In fact, such was the bond between the two of you that one would be forgiven for thinking you were his biological son. Ha, ha, ha! You know, I don’t even know where to start when talking about Japie. I last had contact with him two years back, but nothing has changed about him. When you are with him, he’s going to tease you left, right and centre and you will be joining in on the fun even though you are the subject of his jokes. I had a great time with him. He was a similar player to the likes of Mokoro in that off the field, he was a crazy person and you would laugh until the next day with all his stories, but on the field, he was a hard worker. In terms of discipline, I learned a lot from him, I don’t want to lie.
Next week, we’re hearing about all those iconic Japie Motale funnies. Of course, ha, ha, ha. I can’t wait!