Thabang remembers good ol’ days
Whenever Bidvest Wits workhorse Thabang Monare, 29, visits his family in Embalenhle, Mpumalanga, locals never forget to jog his memory about how they think his twin brother, Thabo, was a better football player than him.
“My twin brother is Thabo. He used to play football as well ... when we were still growing up back home. We were playing for the same team – Remember FC [at amateur level]. Unfortunately, he broke a leg and stopped playing,” said Monare.
“Every time I go home people tell me that he was better than me and that if he had continued he would have gone places. They say, ‘ay, you Thabang, you were just running, not good with the ball, Thabo was a real deal’. He’s now studying at a college.”
It’s not only that, people in Embalenhle also tease the Wits midfielder about how he used to sob every time his team was defeated. “I used to cry when we lost a match, that’s how much I hated losing. Still, when I go home people ask me, usakhala namanje [are you still crying when you lose a match]? I tell them, ‘no no, I have grown up, I no longer cry, heh heh heh heh’,” reflected Monare, laughing.
Apart from reminiscing about old stories with his old friends back home, the former Jomo Cosmos centre-midfielder loves to have quality time with his five-year-old daughter Minenhle. “I spend a lot of my time with my daughter. Even when I am having a bad day ... looking at her just brings a smile to my face. She’s such a blessing and a beautiful child. I just enjoy every minute when I am him her.”