Coach Mabitsela’s Gift finally presents himself
IF IT wasn’t for a threat from his former coach at school, Moshibudi Mabitsela at Thokwaneng Primary – Gift Motupa, pictured, would have been lost to football. Perhaps he would be doing something with the Electrical Engineering qualification he received from Jeppe College.
The 21-year-old would certainly not be one of the most-talked about players, with many predicting he will reach greater heights with Orlando Pirates and Bafana Bafana. But before Bafana, there is the national Under-23 side, where he is in camp preparing for the Eight Nations in Senegal later this month.
If the South African side finishes in the top three, they would not only qualify for the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro next year but Motupa would also increase his medal collection that he almost lost.
“At some stage, I was still young, I wanted to quit football,” the soft-spoken Motupa said.
“I didn’t see the importance of it. It was just good fun for me. But he (Mabitsela) knew it’s importance. I quit when I was in high school because he coached me throughout primary. He came to my home ... you see at primary I was winning trophies and medals ... and he asked me why did I quit football?
“I kept quiet because I knew that I didn’t have a reason for quitting. He is a serious guy, so he wore a stern face when he talked to me and I knew that there was something wrong that I had done.
“He said: ‘We are going to take all the trophies that we gave you because it was a waste of time since you’ve stopped playing.’ I said, ‘No. I’ll go back and play’.”
That’s why Mabitsela was the first person Motupa called when he signed for the club he grew supporting, the Buccaneers, this year in May.
Mabitsela also coached Motupa’s uncle, Albert, whom Gift’s football journey started with. At 12, Gift would follow his uncle whenever he went to practise in the village of Thokwaneng in Limpopo. Motupa would play against people twice his age. That’s where he developed his bravery.
Baroka FC chairman, Khurishi Mphahlele, spotted him there as a 14-year-old and was so impressed with him that Mphahlele predicted that he would one day captain the side, which he did before being snapped up by Pirates on a five-year contract.
“I wasn’t scared of playing against older people,” Motupa said. “That’s who I am. I am not intimidated easily. I fight for what I deserve.
“If there is someone standing between me and that, then I must go through them because I don’t back down. The fact that I could play against people that old, and at that time I wasn’t that mature, shows what I am capable of.”
Owen da Gama will need that fighting spirit when the Under-23s travel to Senegal for the Eight Nations where they are grouped with the hosts, neighbours Zambia and Tunisia.
Motupa’s physique and vision will come in handy, especially against a very tall Senegalese side in the opening match on November 28. Before that, they will take on Mamelodi Sundowns on Saturday in a practise match.